GWH has taken out two more MBA Newcastle Regional Excellence in Building Awards, adding to a record that reflects what happens when good people apply genuine craft to complex problems.
The 2026 awards recognise ONE Apartments in Newcastle West and Macquarie Tower in Charlestown. Two projects that couldn’t be more different in scale, use and location, but share the same DNA: disciplined delivery, technical depth, and a refusal to cut corners where it counts.
ONE Apartments at 11–15 National Park Street is now the third consecutive GWH CBD residential development to take home a Master Builders award for excellence. Three projects, three awards. That consistency isn’t luck, it’s the result of the same approach applied every time.
The 196-apartment twin-tower development presented challenges most builders don’t encounter in a career, let alone on a single site. Historic underground coalmine workings beneath Newcastle West required GWH to work with Subsidence Advisory NSW and specialist teams to undertake directional drilling approximately 70 metres below site and inject around 6,000 cubic metres of grout to stabilise the ground. Weather-responsive planning managed conditions throughout.
Above ground, the approach was equally considered. Computational fluid dynamics modelling was embedded at concept design, using local meteorological data to optimise tower form, façade articulation, glazing ratios and operable window placement before a slab was poured. SmartRock sensors monitored concrete curing in real time, enabling slabs to be loaded precisely when structural thresholds were met.
A rigorous, multi-layered quality assurance and defecting process with staged inspections by construction, development and sales teams alongside independent accredited assessors delivered significantly reduced hand over defects and strong, consistent performance across all apartments and communal areas.
With 85% of apartments sold off the plan prior to the Final Occupation Certificate, ONE Apartments has also redefined what residential development in Newcastle’s CBD can look like.
Macquarie Tower at 4 Charles Street, Charlestown is the tallest residential building in the Lake Macquarie LGA and the region’s first truly mixed-use tower, brings residential, Specialist Disability Accommodation, A-grade commercial, childcare and retail into one 15-storey building on a constrained 2,000sqm urban site.
Delivered entirely by GWH as both developer and builder, the project required coordination of four separate stratums within a single structure, construction of the deepest basement ever built in Lake Macquarie, and integration of a post-tensioned and precast structural system across the full height of the building.
Seven High Physical Support SDA apartments introduced specialist compliance requirements that extended QA processes building-wide, influencing clearances, transitions and accessibility outcomes across all stratums.
SmartRock wireless sensors monitored structural pours in real time. Simpel, a cloud-based platform, controlled site access, subcontractor documentation and compliance across a complex multi-use build. The commercial component is now fully committed, with Allianz, Pulse and Hive Academy Childcare anchoring a precinct that is reinforcing Charlestown’s role as the LGA’s urban centre.
Recognition for everyone who builds with us
These awards belong to the whole GWH team, the project managers, development managers, construction managers, architects, draft persons, finance, HR, safety, marketing, sales, site supervisors, estimators, trade partners, and the people behind the scenes who make delivery possible. They reflect a culture where detail is taken seriously, where problems are solved early, and where the standard of the work itself is what we measure against.
Before we close, we want to say it plainly: every result at GWH begins with safety. It’s our number one value, and the safe delivery of both projects is a credit to everyone involved; our team, our integrated partners, and the trades and subcontractors who hold that standard every day on site.
At GWH, we believe good construction is a form of genuine care, for the people who will live and work in our buildings, for the communities we build in, and for the region we’ve called home for nearly 30 years. When you build with integrity, the recognition follows.
Congratulations to everyone involved. Built for Life — in every sense.