Landing Bakery Turns Local Salvage Into Award-winning Design

A decommissioned sailing spinnaker, recycled fire pipes and sand sourced from across Moreton Bay are among the unlikely materials shaping the interior of Landing Bakery in Scarborough, where a design approach built around local resources has earned Five Mile Radius the 2026 Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture.

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Designed and fabricated by Five Mile Radius in collaboration with Matthew Reynolds, the bakery fit-out began with materials rather than drawings.

Before developing the concept, the team mapped local supply chains, salvage opportunities and renewable resources that could be incorporated into a demanding commercial hospitality environment.

The resulting palette gives the venue a distinct connection to its bayside setting without resorting to conventional coastal references. Sand-cast concrete panels use sand sourced across the bay and are pigmented to reflect the iron-rich cliffs associated with Redcliffe. Queensland-grown hoop pine brings warmth to joinery and furniture, while recycled steel fire pipe has been repurposed into furniture frames. A decommissioned A2 spinnaker sail has found a second life as a curtain.

Every piece of furniture was designed specifically for the bakery and fabricated using locally sourced, reclaimed or renewable materials, with no commercial or imported furniture specified. The approach also extends beyond the interior, with recycled hardwood tables, galvanised steel and recycled concrete forming an outdoor gathering space that allows the bakery’s activity to spill into the street.

For a relatively small tenancy, the communal outdoor setting gives the business a larger presence in the neighbourhood, creating an informal place for customers to meet, eat and linger.

Behind the tactile material palette is a measurable reduction in environmental impact. Of the 1.7 tonnes of material used within the front-of-house scope, 67 per cent was recycled, 31 per cent came from local renewable resources and just two per cent was new material from other sources. Project-specific embodied carbon accounting also found an 84 per cent reduction against a typical commercial fit-out baseline.

The 2026 Harry Marks Award jury praised the project for demonstrating how sustainable design can move beyond conventional compliance approaches. Its citation highlighted the team’s detailed research into local industry and manufacturing, alongside its willingness to work with the existing raw building rather than conceal it beneath a new layer of finishes.

The jury described the bakery as “an appreciable social harbor within the community”, recognising both its material approach and contribution to the public realm.

Landing Bakery demonstrates that circular design need not come at the expense of commercial practicality or a distinctive hospitality experience. By treating local provenance as both a design resource and a point of connection with its neighbourhood, Five Mile Radius has created an interior where the materials tell a story about the place, the people and the resources that surround it.

Images by David Chatfield via ArchDaily