2024 LEAD Awards Winners

Congratulations to the winners and commendations across the eight categories of the awards; and to all the entrants who submitted projects into the awards. The depth of practice across Australia and New Zealand in the design of our learning environments is something we can all be proud of. The 2024 LEAD Awards celebrates this through the best of the best, while noting how this extra effort can yield magnificent results.

As the peak body for educational facility design, Learning Environments Australasia aims to promote intentional practice that is informed by research, embedded in pedagogy and reflective of the local community.

Based on this goal and the results of our awards program, we feel that our community of educators, designers and facility planners should be celebrated. Our LEAD Awards celebrate the depth behind this thinking and the rigour our community strives for to create learning environments that enable and empower.

We celebrate the manner in which educators develop their pedagogy, their brief and their vision for their learners. We celebrate how designers and facility planners respond, while creating inspiring spaces that brings together research from across our network.

The innovation behind intentional practice, collaboration and a willingness to be brave demonstrates why learning together as a community will always yield more impactful, inclusive and deeper results.

Please enjoy reviewing this year's award winners and commendations and take the time to reflect on every available typology - from vertical schools to remarkable refurbishments on limited budgets. Each project offers a unique insight into how we as a community can strive to create something that truly reflects the intersection of learning and space.

Our thanks to the judges of these awards, whose expertise and time were given voluntarily. We thank our LEA volunteers and staff, in particular Soraya Ramsey, for delivering another excellent awards program and an exciting publication Contemporary Learning Spaces 2024 for your enjoyment!

Daniel Smith
Regional Chair Learning Environments Australasia