Bunbury Senior High School café and the Stirling Street Arts Centre by Kent Lyon Architect in running for WA Architecture Awards,

The awards honour the contribution the state's architects make to the built environment and communities in WA.

The cafeteria and function space at Bunbury Senior High School was inspired by a challenging sloped site, panoramic Indian Ocean views and Archigram's "Walking City" concept.

According to Kent Lyon Architect, the lack of flat ground at the school called for a unique design solution which floats over sand dunes atop slanted concrete legs.

"Clad with durable prefinished materials to suit the corrosive coastal air, two cubic volumes intersect, forming a defined silohouette visible from the beach below," according to the award submission.

"Captalising on the flexible interior space and ocean views the school has been inspired to use the building beyond its original function as a student cafeteria, as an after hours space for social functions and hosting events."

Meanwhile, the Stirling Street Arts Centre was inspired by the "open-air" learning philosophies of Maria Montessori.

Kent Lyon Architect created a transparent, adaptive and collaborative series of spaces designed to suit the varied and evolving user groups.

Topped by a feature perforated metal roof, the building's form draws was inspired by the surrounding heritage precinct, according to the architect.

"Removing the barriers between interior spaces and the surrounding environment, the interior centres around several large studios with a top hung grid of glazed operable panels, which the artist groups can shift and fold to accommodate their needs," the awards submission read.

"Externally, the playful silhouette of the roof and use of faade glazing creates a dialogue to the street, encouraging visitors to explore."

With 66 entries across 10 categories, this year's awards program heroes a breadth of projects across key sectors, from lifestyle destinations and reimagined public spaces to environment-responsive dwellings and state-of-the-art education precincts.

A key thread across this year's entries has been the focus on embracing the connectivity and local context of a site and thinking beyond the obvious use of a project. Establishing connections within communities informed design decisions for projects of all scales.

Newly minted Australian Institute of Architects WA chapter president Sandy Anghie said the 2022 awards program delivered an outstanding selection of notable projects and carefully considered spaces.

"As always, this year's WA Architecture Awards showcase the incredible contribution that West Australian architects make in shaping our city and state with a diverse range of innovative projects," Ms Anghie said.

"This year's entrants include the new Art Gallery rooftop by TAG and fjmt studio and the Perth Kids Bridge (Koolangka Bridge) by Fratelle and BEaM, projects which literally change the way we see our city, elevating us beyond the ordinary."

"The past two years have been unprecedented with the global pandemic changing how we live and work - possibly forever. While homes have become places of work for many, some offices are starting to look more like homes..."