Melbourne Prize

From the conception of the prize a range of scales and project types have been awarded that significantly added to the civic and cultural identity of Melbourne's CBD. The first winner in 1997 was a small laneway bar project located in Meyers Place in the east end of the city. It was designed, operated and owned by Six Degrees Architects. The project was created by the young office as a means of displaying their skills not only as designers, but also as urbanists, where architecture and design could contribute to the wider understanding and appreciation of city life. The bar was at the forefront of the developing small laneway bar scene that spread through the back streets and lanes of Melbourne in the mid to late 1990s. These bars became a significant part of the cultural landscape of the city, providing interestingfit outs in out-of-the way locations. The bar scene that followed provided not only a place to meet but also helped activate the evening economy of the city, a great change from the rustbelt recession years of the early 1990s.

The 1998 prize was awarded to a very differently scaled project and budget for the $25m redevelopment of the former high end classical 1880s Georges Department Store at 162—168 Collins Street, Melbourne. The refurbishment was designed by architect Daryl Jackson with Conran Design Partnership from the UK. The building was restored and adaptively modified to include a range of retail concessions, restaurants, and a Conran Design Store.[3]

The 1999 prize was awarded to Nation Fender Katsalidis for the Ian Potter Museum of Art[4] located on Swanston Street, Parkville, within the University of Melbourne campus. The museum is strongly defined by its street facade that features an array of classical sculptures.

The 2000 prize was won by The Observatory Gate project at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne by Peter Elliot[5]. The project created a new entrance and visitor centre for the Botanic Gardens, an outdoor plaza and amenities on Birdwood Avenue opposite the Shrine of Remembrance, incorporating the former Melbourne Observatory and Latrobe's Triangle sites.

The 2001 prize was won for the EQ Project at Hamer Hall by NMBW Architecture Studio, since demolished for the 2010 upgrade.[6]

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl upgrade by Gregory Burgess Architects was awarded the prize in 2002.[7]

Federation Square by Lab Architecture Studio with Bates Smart won the award along with four other awards in 2003.

In 2004 it was awarded to Ashton Raggatt McDougall for Shrine of Remembrance Visitor Centre and Garden Courtyard. ARM again received the prize in 2006 for the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre redevelopment.

The 2005 prize was awarded to NH Architecture for the QV mixed use retail redevelopment between Swanston and Russell Streets in the Melbourne CBD.[8]

Six Degrees Architects also collected the award for a second time in 2008 with their redevelopment of The Vaults on the Yarra River beneath Federation Square for use as their own offices and the Riverland bar. The 2008 Jury was Peter Crone (chair), Alfred deBruyne and Mel Dodd.

The Canada Hotel Redevelopment for student housing on Swanston Street, Carlton designed by Hayball won the prize in 2009.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre by joint venture architects, Woods Bagot and NH Architecture was awarded the 2010 Melbourne Prize in addition to the Victorian Architecture Medal, William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, Steel Architecture Award and the Award for Sustainable Architecture.

The 2011 prize was won by Cox Architects for AAMI Park, Melbourne's major rectangular football stadium.

The Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart was awarded the prize in 2012.

In 2013 the prize was awarded to BKK Architects for their Lonsdale Street Redesign.

In addition to the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, the Dallas Brooks Community Primary School by McBride Charles Ryan won the 2014 Melbourne Prize.[9]

ARM Architecture won a third Melbourne Prize and a second Melbourne Prize for the same project for additional work at the Shrine of Remembrance, Galleries of Remembrance, with Rush\Wright in 2015.

In 2016 the prize was awarded to the Saltwater Community Centre in Point Cook, Western Melbourne by Croxon Ramsay Architects. The Jury for 2016 was Tim Jackson (chair, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects), Peter Williams (Williams Boag), Anna Maskiell (Public Realm Lab).[10]

In 2017 it was awarded jointly to the NGV architecture commission: Haven’t you always wanted…? by M@ STUDIO Architects and the Tanderrum Bridge by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA in collaboration. The 2017 jury was made up of James Staughton (Workshop Architecture), Alison Nunn (Alison Nunn Architect), Amy Muir (Muir Architects).[11]

Shortlisted nominees for the 2018 prize were; McAuley Community Services for Women by Hede Architects, the North Fitzroy Library and Community Hub by Group GSA, New Academic Street, RMIT University by Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects (Joint Winner), and Nightingale 1 apartments by Breathe Architecture (Joint Winner). The 2018 Melbourne Prize jury was Shelley Penn (Shelley Penn Architect, chair), Simon Knott (BKK Architects), Tania Davidge (Openhaus).

Shortlisted nominees for the 2019 prize were: Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal by Cox Architecture with landscape architects Aspect Studios, Parliament of Victoria Members’ Annexe by Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design Private Women’s Club by Kerstin Thompson Architects, South Melbourne Primary School by Hayball, and The Club Stand by Bates Smart.[12] The 2019 Melbourne Prize jury was Jane Williams (John Wardle Architects, chair), Alix Smith (Hassell), and Stefano Scalzo (Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority).

The 2020 Melbourne Prize jury of three was chaired by Reno Rizzo (Inarc Architects) with Madeline Sewall (Breathe Architecture) and Minnie Cade (John Wardle Architects).[13] The State Library Victoria Redevelopment by Architectus and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects was awarded the 2020 award in July. The 2020 project shortlist considered for the award included the Carlton Learning Precinct COLA by Law Architects, Monash University Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts by Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design and State Library Victoria Redevelopment by Architectus and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects.

The 2021 jury of three was chaired by Andrew Maynard (Austin Maynard Architects) with Sarah Bryant (Bryant Alsop Architects) and Sarah Zahradnik (NH Architecture). The 2021 shortlist considered for the award included the ACMI Renewal by BKK Architects and Razorfish, Carrum Station and Foreshore Precinct by Cox Architecture, Collins Arch by Woods Bagot and SHoP Architects, Docklands Primary School by Cox Architecture, Jackalope Pavilion by March Studio, Monash Woodside Building for Technology and Design by Grimshaw in collaboration with Monash University, Olderfleet also by Grimshaw, Prahran Square by Lyons and Springvale Community Hub also by Lyons.[14] The 2021 prize was awarded to the Monash Woodside Building for Technology and Design by Grimshaw Architects in collaboration with Monash University and was the most awarded project of the year — also winning the Victorian Architecture Medal, COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture and an award for Sustainability and Educational Architecture categories.

The 2022 jury of three was chaired by Michael Roper (Architecture Architecture) with jurors Nicholas Braun (Sibling Architecture) and Rhonda Mitchell (Woods Bagot). The 2022 prize was awarded to KTA and BVN for Queen & Collins in Melbourne's CBD. The jury report said "...there was just one [project] that we kept returning to, Queen & Collins, a richly layered urban space carved from a cluster of neo-gothic icons. What could ordinarily have been just another corporate lobby is now something else entirely. Light, space, colour and texture have been masterfully orchestrated to create a surprising new space for Melbourne."[15] The shortlist for the prize included; Collingwood Yards by Fieldwork, Kia Arena by NH Architecture with RWA Sports Architecture. Queen and Collins by KTA and BVN, Rebuild La Mama by Meg White and Cottee Parker Architects, Victorian Pride Centre by Brearley Architects and Urbanists and Grant Amon Architects and Wesley Place, 130 Lonsdale Street by Lovell Chen with Cox Architecture. [16]

The 2023 jury of three is chaired by Kim Bridgland (Edition Office), Greta Stoutjesdijk (Candelapas Associates), Ilana Kister (Kister Architects).[17]. The shortlisted projects for the prize were Darebin Intercultural Centre by Sibling Architecture, the Melbourne Holocaust Museum by Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), Nightingale Village[18] in Brunswick, developed by a multi architect team including Hayball, Breathe, Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Clare Cousins Architects, Kennedy Nolan, Openwork and Andy Fergus. The University of Melbourne Student Precinct in Carlton by Lyons with Koning Eizenberg Architecture, NMBW Architecture Studio, Greenaway Architects, Architects EAT, Aspect Studios and Glas Urban was shortlisted. The Victorian Family Violence Memorial[19] [20] in St Andrews Reserve, Melbourne by Muir and Openwork is shortlisted. The secondary school project Wurun Senior Campus[21] in Fitzroy North by GHD Woodhead and Grimshaw was also shortlisted.[22]

• Australian Institute of Architects
• Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal
• City of Melbourne