An unusual building stands out on the horizon of Fyshwick's Dairy Road precinct.
The Less pavilion, wedged between Jerrabomberra Wetlands and the industrial suburb, has attracted hundreds of visitors and international attention since it opened earlier this year.
Though it is a building, it functions more like a piece of art.
Large, concrete columns - 36 in total - and a circular ramp lead into a native garden.
Visitors can walk within the structure, with the columns looming over them and dappling light across the floor.
Less has been used for concerts, picnics and as a place for children to play.
But for the co-owner of Molonglo property developers, Nikos Kalogeropoulos, the work has been a celebration of all that is Canberra.
"We lose ourselves sometimes in the usual tropes about Canberra, but actually we live in a really special place," he said.
This is shown in the plants selected, as much as it is in the built form.
The garden is made up of 8500 individual plants from more than 50 species local to Canberra. Mr Kalogeropoulos said incorporating these plants had been an important way of showcasing Canberra's history.
"We want the building to exist for hundreds of years. Over time, the eucalypt canopy and other plants will overtake. You will have a physical structure being challenged and eventually over run by the natural landscape," he said.
"To be able to see that happen over time will be beautiful," Mr Kalogeropoulos said.
Less is built on an area known as Biyaligee by Indigenous people. Mr Kalogeropoulos said it had been special to show his international colleagues this history and the site's present-day uses.
The design was created by Chilean-based architect firm Pezo von Ellrichshausen in conjunction with Molonglo and Oculus landscape architects.
"It was really good having a positive reflection of Canberra seen through Pezo von Ellrichshausen," Mr Kalogeropoulos said.
Less has won the award for best small project in 2024 through the Australian Institute of Architects, announced on Thursday night.
"It is recognition for the people that were involved, from Pezo von Ellrichshausen to the local architectural team and design team, along with CBS builders who were instrumental in delivering on the vision," he said.
Mr Kalogeropoulos said the award would be dedicated to the late disability Sue Salthouse, who urged Molonglo to make the design accessible from the main entrance.
"Particularly in pavilion designs, there is often a separate back-door entrance for disabled people.
"The design team got thinking and [Ms Salthouse's suggestion] was really how the circular ramp came about," he said.
"If there is something you value and it is important to you, you should seek to contribute. It might even just be a question that triggers thinking - that is exactly what Sue did," Mr Kalogeropoulos said.
Competition judge Stuart Tanner, who was the past national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, said the work won because of how it created an immersive, public work in a recreational space.
"As contemplative as it is dynamic, the structure invites an engaging experience both within and around the piece," he said.
