The Illawarra voted Elanora Four, a Coledale escarpment renovation designed by Alex Urena Design Studio and built by CKS Projects, the People’s Choice in the Renovation category of the 2026 Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design Awards.
COLEDALE, NSW — 7 November 2026 — CKS Projects, the Wollongong renovation and custom home builder, has won the People’s Choice Award for Renovation at the 2026 Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design (IFAD) Awards for Elanora Four, a coastal escarpment renovation in Coledale designed by Alex Urena Design Studio. The Festival announced the award at its celebration evening at Coledale RSL, where Elanora Four was one of nine projects in the public vote for the Renovation category.
According to the Festival, the IFAD Awards recognise homes that “represent the best of the Illawarra” and “reflect the innovative spirit of the Illawarra, while respecting the environmental demands of our region.” The People’s Choice Award is decided by the public, not a judging panel, with voting open until midnight on Friday 6 November 2026. The award is presented as an engraved timber trophy.
Elanora Four sits on a steep escarpment block, reached by sandstone steps and a steel and timber bridge, and was renovated while a family lived in the home. The work combined a complete interior refurbishment, an expanded rear living area with a new balcony and a new timber-clad garage.
“For me, the real achievement is in the journey: working with Alex Urena and our wonderful clients to bring such a considered design to life, navigating the challenges of the site and a family living through the renovation, while staying true to the original vision and working within budget and timeline. It’s wonderful to know the community is as excited about this home as we are.”
The award follows CKS Projects’ win in the 2026 Master Builders Association NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards for Wombarra Clifftops. The company has worked as a renovation builder in Wollongong and across the Illawarra since 2014, and Trustindex verifies its 5.0 Google rating.
About CKS Projects
CKS Projects is a Wollongong builder founded by Keiron Moore, delivering custom homes, knockdown rebuilds, duplexes, renovations and extensions across Wollongong, the Illawarra and the South Coast. NSW contractor licence 258735C.
About the Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design
The Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design showcases the best in the region with events hosted over an entire weekend, and runs the annual IFAD Awards.
Media contact
- Name
- Keiron Moore, Founder and Managing Director, CKS Projects
- Phone
- 0468 080 469
- Web
- cksprojects.com.au/contact
