Australian Architect and Team Win International Anti-Poverty Award

An Australian architect and team working with indigenous communities across the nation and offshore have been awarded an international architecture award for their ‘efforts to alleviate poverty’.

Paul Pholeros

Healthabitat Pty Ltd, directed by architect Paul Pholeros, was this week awarded the inaugural International Union of Architects (UIA) Vassilis Sgoutas Prize at the peak body’s world congress in Turin, Italy.

The prize was introduced by the UIA, which represents more than 1.3 million architects from around the world, to highlight actions or individuals and groups “contributing in an efficient manner to the struggle against the misery of those living below the poverty line”. It honours an architect, or a team led by an architect, that has made a significant contribution to the improvement of the living conditions of the most destitute populations, to their habitat, their environment and their well-being.

Two prizes were awarded this year, the other going to an individual architect - Egyptian architect iHany Hassan Mahmoud El Miniawy for his work in the Sahara, Algeria, Aswan and Luxor.

In presenting the award to Paul Pholeros and Healthabitat, the UIA jury said: “For the past 22 years, Healthabitat has been working to improve the health of aboriginal populations in remote areas, and more recently in Australia’s rural and suburban areas. Intelligently designed bio-climatic sanitary units, in association with water recycling and waste reduction practices, have been integrated into the existing local habitat. They have proved to be decisive factors in the improvement of living conditions of these communities. Paul Pholeros and his team, that includes doctors, anthropologists and public health officers, work with the local indigenous people and have set an example being followed in other parts of Australia and the world.”

Institute of Architects National President Howard Tanner said Mr Pholeros and Heathabitat,were to be congratulated on the award, which recognised their ongoing exemplary work and the positive effects their contributions have made principally to Australian indigenous communities, but also in other nations such as Nepal.

The Vassilis Sgoutas Prize will be awarded every three years, on the occasion of the UIA world congress. The UIA encompasses the key professional organisations of architects in 116 countries and territories, including Australia through the Australian Institute of Architects, and now represents more than 1,300,000 architects worldwide.