By Cara Waters
Old buildings saved from the wrecking ball and given a new life that prioritises sustainable design are among the many winners in this year’s Victorian Architecture Awards.
David Wagner, state president of the Australian Institute of Architects, says this year’s top picks demonstrated a commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability.
Powerhouse Place by Public Realm Lab. Credit: Tom Ross
“What is fascinating is the breadth of ways sustainability can be approached,” he says. “It can be approached through an operational perspective trying to reduce the amount of carbon energy we consume in operating our homes and offices and schools.
“It can also be achieved by trying to be very good stewards of the buildings that exist at the moment. There is an argument that the great buildings are the ones that exist at the moment. We’ve got to work from those and extend them and refurbish them and restore them rather than just demolishing them.”
There were 61 awards handed out across 228 different projects. Here are nine of the major winners.
Powerhouse Place by Public Realm Lab won multiple times at the Victorian Architecture Awards.Credit: Tom Ross
1. Powerhouse Place
Architect: Public Realm Lab
Powerhouse Place was a power plant in Mildura, which has been reimagined and reinvigorated as a function centre for community, business or private gatherings, such as weddings.
Sanders Place in Richmond by NMBW, Openwork & Finding Infinity.Credit: Peter Bennetts
“They’ve done it with a paucity of material so they have been very careful with what they have used to build this,” Wagner says. “They have created something out of not a lot.”
From a sustainability perspective Wagner said Powerhouse Place won the award for its very clever use of existing fabric and introducing new elements to make it a place where the community could engage.
2. Sanders Place
Architects: NMBW, Openwork & Finding Infinity.
The retrofitted two-storey shared office and event space in Richmond was created inside what was an old chocolate factory.
“They’ve taken an existing factory and modified the building, made apertures, double-glazed throughout and improved the thermal qualities, but the actual bones of it remained the same,” Wagner says.
Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects.Credit: Peter Clarke
3. Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre
Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
“If you were to walk into Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre in Phillip Island it actually has this amazing sense of quietness,” Wagner says. “It’s really quite a lovely space to enter into.”
The two-storey building has a “dynamic space” through the middle with an auditorium at one end and a library at the other alongside community spaces, council offices, a museum and other community facilities.
“It’s a beautifully put together building but incredibly sustainable in terms of how to operate, so its running costs are much lower than they were in the past,” Wagner says.
Ferrars & York by Six Degrees Architects .Credit: Dan Preston
4. Ferrars & York
Architect: Six Degrees Architects
The South Melbourne apartment complex near the light rail has open walkways and a communal rooftop with a fireplace and BBQ.
However it’s the sustainability of the carbon-neutral building that really captured the judges’ attention, with the 22 apartments having a NABERS energy rating of eight stars, when six stars is considered a high standard.
“It has phenomenal sustainability,” Wagner says. “It’s powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.”
Mansard House by Studio Bright.Credit: Rory Gardiner
5. Mansard House
Architect: Studio Bright
Most 1970s homes like Mansard House in Kew are demolished but in this instance the owners enlisted Studio Bright for a renovation.
“It’s a brown brick 1970s house which is sort of lovely in itself, but Studio Bright have added something, which has really brought it to a whole other level from where it was,” Wagner says. “They have introduced some timber lining and have taken the existing quality and then extrapolated it another level or two, which is really quite lovely, without actually losing all of the inbuilt materials and carbon that entails.”
Mount Alexander College by Kosloff Architecture.Credit: Derek Swalwell
6. Mount Alexander College
Architect: Kosloff Architecture
One of the oldest state schools in Victoria, Mount Alexander College is a new vertical school building which sits on the site of Flemington National School, which was established in 1858.
“That’s quite a spectacular building, there’s this sense of dynamics or sense of movement, the way that the facades been arranged,” Wagner says. “From an aesthetic perspective it comes across as something that’s actually quite nimble or quite dynamic.”
54 Wellington Street, Collingwood by Wardle.Credit: Peter Bennetts
7. 54 Wellington street
Architect: Wardle
The cluster of commercial buildings in Collingwood includes a 12–storey office building and incorporates an existing fully functioning telephone exchange, which architect Wardle described as “extremely technically challenging” because of the complex maze of infrastructure.
“The reuse of existing buildings like the telephone exchange is really a great pursuit for our community to continually look at,” Wagner says. “It adds a richness, it’s not just about sustainability, reusing existing buildings actually retains cultural memory, and their civic sense of energy. And then you add to it, which I think makes for a far more interesting environment than simply knocking down buildings and replacing them.”
T3 Collingwood by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects.Credit: Tom Blachford
8. T3 Collingwood Office Building
Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows
The 15-storey Collingwood building is Melbourne’s tallest timber office complex, constructed using Victorian oak responsibly sourced from Australian forests.
“Timber is obviously a fantastic material to use in every respect,” Wagner says. “It needs to be protected externally in terms of durability but it’s fantastic to see it being used in a structural manner.”
The Preston level crossing removal project by Wood Marsh.Credit: Peter Bennetts
9. Preston level crossing removal project
Architect: Wood Marsh
A number of the level crossing upgrades were finalists in the awards but Wagner says the Preston project was “certainly the most remarkable” with its design references to the surrounding heritage rooftops and the nearby Preston market.
“It has actually added enormously to the place at Preston market. The new station there has added an enormous amount of colour and character and it’s really quite a marker of the place,” he says. “It’s got a great sense of place and the program of lifting the railway line above has created a huge amount of space underneath for bicycles, pedestrians and children to play.”
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