Artie Smith Oval triumphs at NSW Country Architecture Awards

Artie Smith Oval and Sports Pavilion has won the prestigious Vision Award and Public Architecture Award at the 2024 NSW Country Division Architecture Awards.

The sports pavilion is part of the $20 million upgrade to Artie Smith Oval, Bomaderry in the first stage of the Shoalhaven Community and Recreation Precinct, which was co-funded by the Australian Government and NSW Government under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and Council.

The awards celebrate the hard work of Wes Hindmarsh, the principal designer and director of LocalArchitect South Coast in association with Barnacle, as well as the council staff who created this special building.

These awards are recognition of the efforts of everyone involved in bringing the vision of this new community and sports facility to life. Winning these awards shows Council’s commitment to creating spaces that make life better for the local community and promote our values of being inclusive and welcoming.

The facility will be officially opened early next year, along with the new sports field that will soon be tested by our local cricket clubs during summer.

The building's design uses natural materials and colours that make the spaces welcoming for everybody, and the design respects and connects with the land around it.

Artie Smith Oval, Sports Pavilion, Cricket Nets, Croquet Courts and surrounding open space including play and outdoor exercise equipment is not just a sports facility, it's a place where the community can come together for all sorts of activities and events.