Willowdale Sports Precinct / Sam Crawford Architects

Located in the rapidly densifying area south of Sydney's new international airport, the design of a new sports pavilion references the nearby remains of ancient clay ovens, traditionally used by local Indigenous people. Sam Crawford, director of SCA, said: "Willowdale Sports Precinct is located at the juncture of an ancient landscape (with archaeological evidence suggesting inhabitation for the past 10,000 years or more) and a burgeoning new suburb in the changing southwest Sydney region." "Our design for the sports pavilion is inspired by archaeological finds in the nationally significant Indigenous sites nearby. It's a unique place within the Sydney region because it contains evidence for ground ovens lined with baked clay balls (like heat beads) that were manufactured, traded, and used for cooking by the local Dharawal and Darug peoples."