Media release supplied by CKS Projects, a featured business in this directory. Published by South Coast Local on 10 November 2026. Facts are linked to their sources. See content integrity.
COLEDALE, NSW — 7 November 2026 — Elanora Four, a coastal escarpment home in Coledale designed by Alex Urena Design Studio and built by Wollongong builder CKS Projects, has won the People’s Choice Award for Renovation at the 2026 Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design (IFAD) Awards. The Festival announced the result 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 public vote, not by a judging panel, and voting closed at midnight on Friday 6 November 2026. The award is an engraved timber trophy.
In its awards post, the Festival described the project as “a challenging site. A clever connection. And views worth celebrating.” The home sits on a steep escarpment block, reached by sandstone steps and a steel and timber bridge, and was renovated while a family lived in it. 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 win follows CKS Projects’ award in the 2026 Master Builders Association NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards, where its Wombarra Clifftops home won the Contract Homes $1.9M to $2M category. Photos and details of Elanora Four are on the builder’s Coledale home renovation project page.
About CKS Projects
CKS Projects is a boutique residential builder based in Unanderra, Wollongong, founded by Keiron Moore. It builds 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
Sources
- IFAD Awards 2026 voting pageAward criteria quote, public vote, closing time, Renovation entries
- IFAD Instagram post, 31 October 2026Project description, sandstone steps and bridge, design and builder credits
- IFAD 2026 Celebration Night (Eventbrite)Date and venue of the announcement
- CKS Projects: Coledale home renovationScope of works, design and builder credits
- Master Builders NSW 2026 Southern Regions winners (PDF)Wombarra Clifftops, Contract Homes $1.9M to $2M