New Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
Once again the time has come for architecture Australia to recognise the best in national design. The various state architecture awards have brought to light the incredible works of the different industries, with Victoria the latest state to come under the scrutiny of a jury.
The 2012 Victorian Architecture Awards, hosted by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), were dominated by one specific project. The redevelopment project in question will come as no surprise to those in the industry: The Royal Children’s Hospital.
The colourful, state of the art development, designed by Billiard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart, was awarded three major awards including the Victorian Architecture Medal, the Melbourne Price and the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture (New).
Jury members have once again offered effusive praise to the hospital, which has been labeled a ‘breathtaking contribution to Melbourne’s civic realm’ by Victorian Architecture Medal Jury chair and AIA president Shelley Penn.
Penn noted the building’s ‘healing spaces’ ideology was a key factor behind its success both at the awards and as a functional medical facility.
“Nature as a way of healing permeates every aspect of the building with organic forms and colour, a variety of visual delights and abundant natural light,” she says.
Ormond College Academic Centre
The Ormond College Academic Centre, designed by MgGlashan Everist, was another multiple winning, earning both the 2012 Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture and the 2012 George Knight Award for Heritage Architecture.
The building has been described as ‘setting new standards in education design’, with the jury stating the redevelopment greatly improves on an already esteemed original structure.
“(The architects have) incorporated extensive new technologies, services and fabric without compromising the heritage considerations – an excellent example of how tired modern buildings can again become modern classics,” say the jury.
Saltwater Coast Lifestyle Centre
The Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture has been awarded once again to NH Architecture, with this year’s Saltwater Coast Lifestyle Centre standing out as best in sector. With all eyes keenly focused on Melbourne urban planning, the highly anticipated 2012 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design has been awarded to Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design for their William Buckley Bridge at Barwon Heads.
Victoria marks the last of the state-by-state awards ceremonies, leaving only the lead-up to the National Architecture Awards in November.
