2013 Melbourne Design Awards - Key Dates

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

Why Enter

Whether you are a design creator or a design commissioner you can make your mark on the Melbourne design scene by entering the Melbourne Design Awards.

Design Creator
• Gain recognition for your design achievement
• Increase awareness of your work and gain design public and peer comment
• Increased exposure to your potential customers and clients
• Bench mark your work with your peers
• Opportunity to gain national publicity and exposure

Design Commissioner
• Provides a mark of distinction for your product
• Further evidence of excellence in product development
• Bench mark your product with those of your peers
• Increased exposure of your brand / product
• Opportunity to gain national publicity and exposure

Description

This award recognises the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project must be constructed.

Current entries

Silver Top Taxi Headquarters

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

The history of Silver Top Taxi is synonymous with Melbourne. Within 15 years of the establishment of Melbourne, Joseph Gange established a family business with horse drawn Hansom Cabs which through the historic Astoria Taxi Company was to become today’s Silver Top Taxi. Following a fire, the new Silver Top Headquarters and depot has re-opened at the old Rupert Street Collingwood site. A state of the art facility designed by local Collingwood architects Baldasso Cortese and built by the Becton Group stands as a testament to Victoria's largest taxi network. The new building, which cost over $10 million to develop and build, houses Silver Tops leading satellite booking technology, enabling them to provide taxis to customers in the quickest time frame. As a very proud operations manager stated "this is arguably the best taxi network building in the world". And who wouldn't agree - not only does it make a marvellous statement, but has already created efficiencies for both customers and taxi owners. It has also provided a home for Taxi memorabilia collector Kevin Gange to exhibit his collection in what is believed to be Australia's first Taxi Museum.

The Royal Children's Hospital

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

The $1 billion Royal Children’s Hospital is based on state-of-the-art ideas around a family-centred care model that puts children and their families at the centre of the facility. The building’s formal arrangement, as well as the internal and external spatial experiences, has been assembled to promote a restorative and healing environment. The therapeutic benefits of nature underpin the overall design, the story derived from the natural textures, forms, patination and colours of surrounding Royal Park. Using innovative and evidence-based design principles, the design reflects changing healthcare practices, workplace patterns, user expectations, community aspirations and environmental responsibility.

Good Shepherd Chapel - Abbotsford

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

Constructed initially in 1871 the Chapel was and is the cultural and spiritual centre for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at the Abbotsford Convent. Robert Simeoni Architects was engaged to restore the building and explore the possibility of creating new uses and spaces for redundant areas. In addition to traditional worship facilities, flexible spaces are provided for use by lay people and the general public. An interpretive centre, a variety of meeting spaces and amenities, including an intimate space in the crypt have been incorporated into this restoration project. Our approach to the project was respectful of the architectural and cultural history of the Chapel and in accordance with the Burra Charter. Restoration of the existing building was undertaken with care to retain as much of the existing fabric as possible. This restoration of the existing Chapel and the new interventions honour the history of the Good Shepherd Sisters and provide a multifunctional facility for their continued work and presence within the community.

Wintergarden Facade

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

An iconic and enchanting new art facade for the newly opened Wintergarden Shopping Centre in central Brisbane. The facade covers three sides of a city block and is a complex study of wintergardens, biology, geometry and layering. The facade design incorporates unique cutting, folding and lighting systems which are integrated into a coherent cultural event. Every panel and layer in the 4,000m2 façade has a unique design that is fully expressed through the dynamic, experiential interplay between a considered but expansive palette of colours and a rich language of cutting, scoring, folding and lighting all of which coalesce as a rich, coherent, cultural experience.