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2017 Victorian Architecture Awards

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The end of the financial year went off with a bang at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition and Convention Centre, with over 800 guests celebrating the 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards; the first time since 2009 that the Awards have been presented at this venue.

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Of the 223 entries, 58 Named Awards, Awards, and Commendations were presented across 16 Awards and Prizes categories, representing the best of Victoria’s architecture. 

A full list of the winners can be found here. Projects that received an architecture award or named award will be considered for the National Architecture Awards, to be announced at the Albert Hall, Canberra Thursday 2 November.

Vanessa Bird, Victorian chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects, said, “ there is a focus on designing healthy, liveable spaces. Living and working in well-designed buildings influences the way we think and feel….The value of good architecture is about creating places for people.”

Libbi Gorr, our esteemed MC for the second year in a row, started the evening with her tongue firmly in cheek toasting the talent in the room, telling us to be the best we can be…so feeling the sense of humour on the room, our table proceeded to play ‘word bingo’….how many times did we hear certain words when describing architecture. 

Public………..Robust…………Typology……………Sympathetic……………….Experimental 

Voluminous ……………..considered………………Periphery………………..Delight

Celebrate…………..Surprise…………..Complex …………..Programme…………Rigour…..

..challenging……….confidence…….BINGO!

So…let the games begin!

The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) by Silver Thomas Hanley, DesignInc and McBride Charles Ryan STHDI and MCR consortium,  was the winner of both the Victorian Medal and the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, no great surprise here. 

It takes skill and imagination to deliver such a complex architecture program. With the aid of the architectural consortium, builders, financiers, and government agencies,  this complex building makes a convincing statement to the public, about how architecture can add value.

In a first time, the Melbourne Prize was presented equally to two distinctly diverse projects, the Tanderrum Bridge by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA in collaboration, and the 2016 NGV Architecture Commission by M@ Studio Architects.

Both are public – as the former a bridge in Birrarung Marr and the other an iridescent pink car wash that was displayed for six months at the National Gallery of Victoria, Grollo Equiset Garden.

Forty houses were entered into the  Residential Architecture – (New) category with Baracco and Wright Architects taking home the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Rose House. Jury Chair, TIm Jackson, cited that through ‘its experimental unravelling of interior spaces … this house challenged our preconceptions of programme…”.

The AWS Sponsored , Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture was awarded to Jackson Clements Burrows Architects for The Coppel & Piekarski Family Disability Respite Centre.

Jury chair, Kristen Green noted in the citation that here”…..the architects have demonstrated both design rigour and social warmth…this challenging brief has been handled with confidence and ease…”.

That my friends is BINGO!

Who won…I hear you say?

The Victorian architecture community won, for its collegiate, collaborative, supportive environment. 

Photographer: Nic Granleese more images can be viewed here

Written by: Bernadette Wilson (VIC Event Correspondent for AWS)

Bernadette is the Studio Manager, at Cumulus Studio, Melbourne. She has worked within the profession across various practices, design disciplines, creative industries and peak bodies in Melbourne, New York and Dublin.

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AWS Supports OzHarvest to Help Nourish Our Country

After a demanding year for many across our communities, AWS is proud to share that we have made a festive season donation to OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, which will provide thousands of meals to Australians in need.

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A growing need in our communities

Food insecurity in Australia is rising at an alarming rate. Last year, an estimated 3.5 million households struggled to put food on the table, with the cost of living now the number one driver of hardship. The charities OzHarvest supports say they could distribute double the amount of food to meet demand. Every day, new people are turning up for help, often feeling ashamed or embarrassed to ask.

James from St Albans Community Youth Club in Victoria, which receives OzHarvest food weekly, put it simply: “For the first time in 10 years, we’re struggling to feed everyone.”

Why the festive season matters

The festive period can be especially difficult for families who do not know where their next meal is coming from. Demand typically spikes at this time of year, even as household budgets are stretched further. OzHarvest is working hard to ensure nourishing food reaches those who need it most, not just during the holidays but all year round.

About OzHarvest

OzHarvest was founded in 2004 by Ronni Kahn AO, after she noticed how much quality food was going to waste through her events business. What began as a simple, practical solution rescuing surplus food and delivering it to charities quickly grew from one van in Sydney into a nationwide movement. As OzHarvest expanded, Ronni and a team of pro bono lawyers successfully lobbied state governments to change legislation so food donors could give surplus food to charities without fear of liability. NSW led the way with the Civil Liabilities Amendment Act in 2005, and other states followed.

Today, OzHarvest rescues food at scale with a clear purpose to Nourish Our Country. Their mission is to stop food waste, feed people in need, and protect our planet by championing the value of food and driving change at every level of society. Their work strongly aligns with five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

How you can help (if you would like to)

OzHarvest welcomes every contribution. The impact is immediate and tangible.

  • $1 = 2 meals
  • Your donation helps keep OzHarvest’s wheels turning
  • It supports food relief for over 1,500 charities helping vulnerable Aussies every day

For more information or to make a donation visit: https://www.ozharvest.org/

Image credit: OzHarvest

 

 

AWS Sponsors Building Tours at Glenn Murcutt Foundation Australia Symposium

Architectural Window Systems (AWS) is proud to sponsor the Murcutt Building Tours, a centrepiece of the inaugural Glenn Murcutt Architecture Foundation Symposium, to be held in Sydney from 11 – 13 September 2025.

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The Symposium, presented by the Murcutt Foundation, celebrates more than five decades of architectural practice by Glenn Murcutt AO, Australia’s most celebrated living architect. The program offers three days of tours, talks and events for architects, students and design professionals, culminating in a rare opportunity to engage directly with some of Murcutt’s most acclaimed works.

As part of its ongoing support for architectural excellence and sustainable, place-based design, AWS is sponsoring the Murcutt Building Tours on Thursday, 11 September, providing a rare, guided experience led by Murcutt himself through two iconic residential projects:

  • Nicholas House
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“I am so pleased that so many have taken the chance to see these two projects that were designed in such close collaboration with the clients at the time, and which have been so well loved and cared for over the many decades since. It is such a joy to share this work,” Glenn Murcutt AO.

“Glenn Murcutt’s works embody a profound sensitivity to landscape, climate and material — and they are best understood by being experienced firsthand,” said Angela Bevitt-Parr, National Marketing Manager at AWS. “AWS is proud to support this extraordinary opportunity for architects to deepen their understanding of Murcutt’s work and philosophy through direct engagement with these exceptional places.”

Beyond the tours, the Symposium will feature keynote addresses from Glenn Murcutt AO and Francis Kéré (fellow Pritzker Prize Laureate), the inaugural awarding of the Murcutt Pin, and a full day of talks exploring the themes that have informed Murcutt’s unique model of practice.

“Francis Kéré is one of the great humans, and a gifted architect who really shows architecture can make a difference in people’s lives. I have a huge amount of respect and time and a wonderful friendship with this man because of his integrity. I am so pleased that Sydney will get to meet him this year,” Glenn Murcutt AO.

For full event details and to register, visit: https://events.humanitix.com/murcutt-symposium

About the Glenn Murcutt Architecture Foundation: The Glenn Murcutt Architecture Foundation promotes the work and legacy of Glenn Murcutt AO through education, advocacy and public programs that advance environmentally responsible architecture and foster dialogue around design excellence and connection to place. For more information visit https://www.murcuttfoundation.org/

Image credit:

Simpson Lee house: Anthony Browell.

 

Designing Value – AWS celebrates 30 years

In late 1994, two dedicated fenestration professionals, Gavan Pead and David McCleary, took a pivotal tour of Architectural Profiles Ltd (APL) in Cambridge, New Zealand. Inspired by APL’s customer-focused business model, they envisioned bringing a similar approach to challenge the Australian market’s basic, outdated aluminium windows and doors that dominated at that time.

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This vision led to the founding of Architectural Window Systems (AWS) in January 1995, with Pead as the first General Manager and McCleary as Head of Design. AWS launched with the release of the 502 sliding window and 541 sliding door – affordable, single-glazed products that immediately stirred the market. “In those days, profiles were hand-drawn, and every detail required precise verification,” McCleary recalls. Their commitment to quality was matched by strong supplier support, relationships that remain solid today.

To bring this customer-centric model to life, AWS built a robust network of independent fabricators across Australia, now exceeding 200, with unparalleled reach and service capabilities. Steve Butcher of Great Lakes Glass, an early adopter, recalls that “their passion was infectious, and if they were starting something new, I wanted to be part of it.”

AWS quickly became a trusted name in high-performance aluminium windows, with products designed to meet the needs of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. With the launch of ThermalHEART™ in 2007, followed by ThermalHEART™ commercial in 2012, AWS introduced its first thermally broken products, raising the bar for energy efficiency. In 2003, David’s son, Mark McCleary, joined AWS, continuing the family’s involvement in the company. In 2021, Mark took over the leadership of research and design, guiding the development of innovative window and door solutions. That same year, AWS introduced ComfortEDGE™, a significant step forward in thermal efficiency. With additional ComfortEDGE™ products set for release in 2025, AWS continues to strengthen its commitment to energy-efficient solutions for the Australian market.

Reflecting on the success of the last 30 years, AWS General Manager Greg Taylor notes that “it’s our model that differentiates us. A supplier that is not only an extrusion supplier, but a reliable, supportive, engaged business partner that understands the need for continuous improvement”.

In 2025, AWS will continue to focus on improvement, introducing a class-leading digital environment for specifiers, fabricators, and staff, along with an automated workflow connectivity solution exclusively for AWS fabricators.

For more information, contact marketing@awsaustralia.com.au

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