Signature Project Management is proud to celebrate the Cowper Street, Glebe development being named Best Social & Affordable Housing Development at the 2026 Urban Taskforce Australia Development Excellence Awards.
Delivered for Homes NSW in partnership with Bridge Housing, the award recognises a project that has redefined expectations for social and affordable housing by combining outstanding architectural design, environmental sustainability and lasting community outcomes.
Set on Gadigal Country, the development provides 75 social homes across two eight-storey buildings and a sensitively restored heritage terrace, creating high-quality homes for approximately 132 residents in the heart of inner-city Sydney.
Designed in collaboration with JPW and The King’s Trust Australia, the project establishes a new benchmark for sustainable housing. More than 80% of homes are naturally ventilated, while most receive more than two hours of direct winter sunlight. Ceiling fans, automated dehumidifiers, rooftop solar, water retention and reuse systems, rooftop gardens and landscaped communal spaces all contribute to lower energy consumption, improved comfort and enhanced resident wellbeing.
A defining feature of the project is its cross-laminated timber (CLT) structural frame, manufactured from Australian plantation pine, significantly reducing embodied carbon and construction emissions while demonstrating the potential of innovative timber construction in multi-residential developments.
Signature Project Management was privileged to deliver the project as Client-side Project Manager and Principal’s Authorised Person, working closely with Homes NSW and the broader project team from planning through to completion.
“The Cowper Street project demonstrates that social and affordable housing can lead the industry in design excellence, environmental performance and liveability, creating homes that will benefit residents and the wider community for generations to come,” said a Signature Project Management spokesperson.
