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News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
2025 Victorian Architecture Awards hail best in the business
A cemetery depot, $90m Parliament House rescue mission and an innovative cancer treatment centre have been crowned among Victoria's best architectural projects of 2025. The state's Architecture Awards handed out 40 gongs at a ceremony last night. More than 380 submissions were made across 15 categories to the Australian Institute of Architects' Victorian Chapter for this year's competition. FPPV Architecture received the Conservation Architecture Award for its 18-year long restoration of Parliament House in Spring St. Global second-hand fashion fave eyes big entry to Geelong The studio's director Paul Viney said that in the beginning, he had to justify to the Victorian government's Treasury department why the circa-1850s, heritage-listed site 'should be restored and why it shouldn't just be replaced in another location'. At the time, FPPV produced concept plans that showed moving Parliament House to Spring St's southern end would cost taxpayers an estimated $2bn. Instead, Mr Viney and his team embarked on a $90m marathon effort to return the state's seat of democracy to its former glory. 'We put nearly 1000 cubic metres of stone into the building,' Mr Viney said. The entire process involved more than 340 drawings, 13 separate stages and research into historic construction techniques. Mr Viney said working on the restoration had given him a sense of pride. 'It is really is about delivering the restoration … for one of the most important Victorian-era architecture buildings in Australia,' he added. Mr Viney credited the ex-Department of Premier and Cabinet Strategic Projects director Peter Lockett for his work in the decision-making process to restore Parliament House. A multi-award recipient in the competition was Glenroy's Northern Memorial Park depot. Commissioned by the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, it features training spaces for workers to practise grave-digging and working with mausoleums away from crying eyes. Searle X Waldron Architects director and design lead Suzannah Waldron said a training wall with six crypts was created for this purpose. 'It's a unique project, I would say in that it's a very specific workplace for people who have quite challenging roles and dealing daily with grief and loss at a cemetery,' Ms Waldron said. Searle X Waldron's aimed to transform the typical 'shed' idea of a traditional depot into a light-filled workplace that fostered wellbeing and connection. The result was a two-storey timber building with a pleated and perforated screen that wraps around it, set near woody meadows, wetlands and future public space within the memorial park. Between 80 to 100 employees are based at the depot which also incorporates a timber workshop, a horticulture space and work areas for stone masons, mechanics, metalwork and welding. Another award winner was the $152.4m Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre at Alfred Hospital. Designed by the Melbourne-based Lyons, it was named in honour of trucking magnate Lindsay Fox's wife Paula who had the first of their six children at the hospital. The Fox family were among the project's philanthropic supporters. Lyons director Hari Pliambas said the centre's eye-catching patterned facade was inspired by the cellular structure of healthy skin, while features include gardens and a dedicated wellness centre with a gym and larger areas for yoga and group exercise. The Lyons team aimed to re-imagine the traditional clinical model while creating a property suited to cancer treatment, clinical trials and partners like Monash University. 'From our very first conversation with Paula Fox — who articulated her deeply personal vision for the centre — through to the clinicians, researchers, and the wider Alfred Health team, there was a genuine collective commitment to creating something meaningful for future patients,' Mr Pliambas said. Elsewhere, fashion label Decjuba's Cremorne headquarters by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects received a Commercial Architecture commendation. Architecture firm Hassell was commended in the same category for the revitalisation of 120 Collins St, one of Australia's tallest office structures at 265m tall. Victorian Medal The Northern Memorial Park depot by Searle X Waldron Architects Melbourne Prize The Northern Memorial Park depot by Searle X Waldron Architects Commercial architecture The Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture: Melbourne Place, Kennedy Nolan Architecture awards 116 Rokeby St, Carr Everlane Cremorne, Fieldwork Northern Memorial Park Depot, Searle x Waldron Architecture The StandardX, Woods Bagot Commendations 120 Collins St Revitalisation, Hassell Decjuba HQ, Jackson Clements Burrows Architecture Educational architecture The Henry Bastow Award for Educational Architecture: Pascoe Vale Primary School, Kosloff Architecture Architecture award Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, ARM Architecture Commendations Kangan Institute Health and Community Centre of Excellence, Architectus Woodleigh Regenerative Futures Studio, Mcildowie Partners with Joost Bakker Heritage architecture The John George Knight Award for Heritage Central Goldfields Art Gallery, Nervegna Reed Architecture Architecture Award for Creative Adaptation Gunn Ridge House, Kennedy Nolan Architecture Award for Conservation Parliament House Stone Restoration Works, FPPV Architecture Commendation for Conservation Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, Lovell Chen Interior architecture The Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture Melbourne Place, Kennedy Nolan Architecture Awards: Eva and Marc Besen Centre, Kerstin Thompson Architects she sells sea shells, Multiplicity Domain, Flack Studio Commendation Hume Council Chamber, Architecture Associates Public architecture The William Wardell Award for Public Architecture Eva and Marc Besen Centre. Kerstin Thompson Architects Architecture Awards Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre, Lyons Truganina Community Centre, Jasmax (Canvas Projects) Commendations Dendy Beach Pavilion and Brighton Life Saving Club, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects St Mary's Coptic Church, Studio Bright Residential architecture – houses (alterations and additions) The John and Phyllis Murphy Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) Dunstan, SSdh Architecture Awards Carlton Cottage, Lovell Burton Architecture Gunn Ridge House, Kennedy Nolan Commendation A Light Addition, Office MI-JI Residential architecture – houses (new) The Harold Desbrowe Annear Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) Hedge and Arbour House, Studio Bright Architecture Awards Otway Beach House, Kerstin Thompson Architects she sells sea shells, Multiplicity Terrace House, Rob Kennon Architects Commendations Fishharven, Neil Architecture Shady Creek Farm House, MRTN Architects Stumpy Gully House, Adam Markowitz Design with Stavrias Architecture Residential architecture – multiple housing The Best Overend Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing Nightingale Preston, Breathe Architecture Architecture Awards Newburgh Light House, Splinter Society Architecture Shiel St North Melbourne, Community Housing Project, Clare Cousins Architects Commendation The Paddock, CROSBY architects Small project architecture The Kevin Borland Award for Small Project Architecture Grace Darling Hotel Parklet, Kerry Kounnapis Architecture Practice Architecture Award Geelong Laneways: Malop Arcade, NMBW Architecture Studio with ASPECT Studios Commendation Wangun Amphitheatre, Equity Office Urban design The Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design Glen Huntly Station, COX Architecture with Rush Wright Associates Architecture Award Dendy Beach Pavillion and Brighton Life Saving Club, Jackson Clements Burrows Commendation Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, ARM Architecture Enduring architecture Maggie Edmond Enduring Architecture Award Nicholas Building, Harry Norris COLORBOND award for steel architecture Casuarina Pavilion, Greenaway Architects (GA) Commendation Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, ARM Architecture Dimity Reed Melbourne prize Northern Memorial Park Depot, Searle x Waldron Architecture EmAGN project award Dunstan, SSdH Regional prize Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, ARM Architecture Sustainable architecture The Allan and Beth Coldicutt Award for Sustainable Architecture The Paddock, CROSBY architects Architecture Award Woodleigh Regenerative Futures Studio, Mcildowie Partners with Joost Bakker Commendation Northern Memorial Park Depot, Searle x Waldron Architecture Emerging architect prize Stephanie Kitingan, Jacqueline OBrien, James Flaherty, Placement Bates Smart architecture in media State Award March Studio: Making Architecture, Material & Process, Dr Fleur Watson National Award Gromboyd, Maria Larkins Advocacy Award When Robin Boys Went to Japan, NMBW Architecture Studio and Robin Boyd Foundation
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
From outlaw bushrangers who fell in love to a famous horseman born a woman, Australia's history is full of queer stories
In 1841, Anne Drysdale invited Caroline Newcomb to live with her on her farm outside Geelong. It was a bold move for the time: the full decriminalisation of homosexuality was 156 years away;the legalisation of same-sex marriage, 176 years. In colonial Australia, women did not own property,let alone share one, and the same bed. But for 21 years the couple lived together, building a brick house that still stands today, running a sheep farm and winning agriculture awards, before being buried side by side. In the annals of history, Drysdale and Newcomb's story has remained hidden, like that of many other people who form Australia's LGBTQ+ past. Now, across the country, researchers and advocates are finding and celebrating Australia's queer history. The councils of both the City of Sydney and Yarra in Melbourne are moving towards heritage listing significant LGBTQ+ buildings. In Victoria, Federation University has launched an online digital platform that collates LGBTQ+ stories from the gold rush. 'You often hear this representation as if being queer is a modern invention, but the people have always been here,' says Federation University's head of social science Dr David Waldron, who led the research project. The figures include the infamous bushranger Andrew Scott, better known as Captain Moonlite, a well educated and flamboyant outlaw who fell madly in love with fellow inmate James Nesbitt. Their courtship was conducted between cells, with Nesbitt bringing Scott tea and gifts. After leaving Pentridge prison they lived together in Melbourne before travelling up the country. Starving, freezing and wet, their gang decided to hold up a station in Wagga Wagga after they were refused work. The police arrived, and in the standoff Nesbitt was shot and killed. A newspaper article from the time said when Scott was brought into the room with Nesbitt's body he 'kissed him, and affectionately wept over him'. 'Will he really die?' he asked. 'Oh, he is my only dear friend; but for him, a great many more lives would have been lost.' Captured, convicted and sentenced to hang, Scott wore a lock of his lover's hair to the gallows. The archives are also filled with gender-bending stories, early Australians living their lives, fighting in wars, and marrying people of the opposite gender, all while hiding their sex. In the 1860s Jack Jorgensen was one of the best horsemen in the country. He was big and strong – and filled with frontier spirit. A sharpshooter who wooed women and shouted everyone a drink on Friday, Jorgensen had been born a female. 'It was only revealed when they passed,' Waldron says. 'Because they were quite muscular, their face was quite scarred from a bullet wound … [and] they had a strong German accent, no one had ever realised.' With the gold rush era came a moral panic about 'women in men's clothing', which contrasts with modern panic about 'men in women's clothing', Waldron says. 'Because the fear was, oh, a woman might be able to earn her own income and not need to have a man, or a woman might be in a position of political power and authority, and no one would know,' he says. Issues commonly crop up when researching queer history. Often historians have been quick to conclude that couples are friends, or romantic or sexual connection cannot be proven, says Timothy Jones, president of the Australian Queer Archives. 'In the early 19th century, Anne Drysdale and her partner had a farm down on the Bellarine Peninsula, and there were two women, and there was only one bedroom, and they were buried together,' he says. 'Just by looking at their lives, you can tell that they have a romantic, committed relationship.' In archives, the LGBTQ+ community often appears in sodomy charges, criminal cases and medical records. There aren't as many positive historical artefacts, Jones says. But slowly personal artefacts have surfaced – in scrapbooks, photos and letters. 'Digging around and finding these stories about joyful lives in the past is really, really valuable in providing a different model of seeing … LGBT people,' Jones says. While most of the collection comes after the sexual revolution in the 1970s, it also includes personal papers and letters that give a glimpse of life back in the early 20th century. While finding the history can be hard, celebrating the community is not. At present, both Yarra and Sydney councils have identified culturally significant buildings that will soon be heritage listed. They will join a small number of cities across the globe such as New York and Manchester that recognise important LGBTQ+ buildings with protections. The City of Sydney is proposing to list the Oxford Hotel, Palms and the Universal nightclub, formerly known as the Midnight Shift, as important places. Yarra is set to list The Laird, the former Star Hotel (now the Ozihouse student hostel) and the community radio station 3CR. Sean Mulcahy, co-lead at Rainbow Local Government, says councils are now working with archivists and researchers to 'ensure that histories and stories of significance to the LGBTIQA+ community are protected'. 'We have always told queer stories, but it is only now that we are starting to rediscover them and their connection to places and objects,' he says. 'It's one thing to capture LGBTIQA+ heritage, but it's another thing to be able to protect and celebrate it.'
News.com.au
17 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Geelong laneway breakthrough wins Victorian Architecture Award
An innovative Geelong laneway breakthrough project inspired by Melbourne's iconic alleys has won a Victorian Architecture Award. The Malop Arcade 'surgically repurposed' an existing inner city building to create a new pedestrian link between hip dining strip Little Malop St and Malop St. It's the first in a series of urban laneway projects planned to boost pedestrian connectivity across the Geelong CBD. Why Geelong's home target isn't stacking up The public arcade garden, designed by NMBW Architecture Studio with ASPECT Studio, was recognised in the Small Project Architecture category at the 2025 Victorian Architecture Awards. Two other extraordinary beach houses on the Surf Coast also won awards in Residential Architecture New Houses category. Kerstin Thompson Architects' Otway Beach House is a monolithic concrete residence build in a designated 'flame zone' on the edge of a national park. Multiplicity designed the other whimsical Aireys Inlet recipient, She Sells Sea Shells, which features shell-encrusted cabinetry, vintage 1970s upholstery and cork floors. The Malop Arcade project, developed by a state government department and the City of Greater Geelong, saw a two-storey shop in Malop St spot purchased and its interior selectively demolished to create an urban garden and public pathway connected to Dennys Place. Rainwater is channelled into planters and new sunken garden beds set among exposed bluestone walls and timber rafters. 'Through adaptive reuse and alteration of a two-storey building, NMBW has created a generous, poetic pedestrian link and public space that stitches together the laneways of Geelong's CBD,' the judges' citation said. 'Through detailed forensic investigation by the project team, this exemplary project has carefully and meticulously revealed the site's unique layers of history. 'With a nod to the memory of the original building, new elements – noticeably a galvanised steel earthquake structure – stand in deliberate contrast to the existing brick, timber and bluestone fabric.' Visitors have reported homeless people seeking refuge in the laneway since it opened. The client quoted in the project summary sees this as a positive aspect of the space. 'I think the highlight of the space was the area where men who were sleeping rough would be sitting talking to each other in a warmly lit area surrounded by nature,' the client said. 'This space never felt unsafe as a pedestrian. I am a mental health clinician and it always struck me that this space fostered safety, not fear, which is unusual for many public spaces in cities now.' Construction has now started on Geelong's second laneway breakthrough after the demolition of two Ryrie St buildings. They were knocked down to create an open air link between Union and Markets streets, due for completion by mid 2026.
ABC News
18 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Ghanaian-Australian AFL players making their mark in the league.
Quaynor was the first of the quartet to make his AFL debut. ( ABC News: Matthew Holmes )
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Judge gives Erin Patterson jurors directions before deliberation
The judge in Erin Patterson's murder trial has given jurors instructions on how to consider alleged lies by the accused in their deliberations. Ms Patterson is facing three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a lunch she hosted at her home in July 2023, after which her guests fell ill.
