Melbourne cemetery depot among top architecture award winners

A sleek new Melbourne cemetery depot has won the top prize for commercial architecture at the profession’s national awards.

Searle x Waldron Architecture was praised for “creating a supportive environment for staff in emotionally demanding roles” alongside space for vehicles and equipment at the Northern Memorial Park in Glenroy.

The Harry Seidler Award citation said: “The depot is embedded within an evolving ecological system of woody meadows, wetlands and future public space – reframing the cemetery not only as a place of grief, but also of life and regeneration.”

Eight other Victorian projects also received accolades at the Australian Institute of Architects event on Thursday night.

Studio Bright’s Hedge and Arbour House in Melbourne’s inner north-east won the Robin Boyd Award for residential architecture.

The top honour for new house design was given with particular praise for innovation in combining the natural environment with modern living.

“The house itself is wrapped in a galvanised steel-mesh arbour, a simplifying element that also allows the landscape to subsume the house almost entirely,” the jury citation said.

“Once inside, the spaces provide a calming refuge in constant connection to the views of the bush landscape beyond.”

A community housing project on Shiel Street in North Melbourne won a national award for multi-dwelling residential architecture.

Clare Cousins Architects designed the eight-level building with 78 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for Housing Choices Australia.

“This is exceptional community housing that sets a clear precedent for honest, well-designed affordable homes that provide transformational support for those who need them the most,” the jury citation said.

The Truganina Community Centre in Melbourne’s west and the Eva and Marc Besen Centre in Healesville both won national awards for public architecture.

Kerstin Thompson Architects designed the latter, which was an addition to the Tarrawarra Museum of Art in the Yarra Valley.

The jury said it was a “quite extraordinary” way to showcase more than 300 stored artworks that would otherwise be hidden.

Jasmax (Canvas Projects) designed the Truganina Community Centre, which provides kindergarten, healthcare, library and council services to surrounding greenfield estates.

The jury said the building – opposite what remains a barren field – engendered belonging “within one of the most economically challenging, socially complex and culturally diverse emerging Melbourne communities”.

“Generous daylight, open sightlines and tactile, natural materials enhance a sense of safety and warmth,” the citation said.

The national award for small project architecture was given to the Geelong Laneways: Malop Arcade project.

NMBW Architecture Studio and ASPECT Studios transformed a two-storey shop into a green pedestrian passage between Malop Street and Dennys Place in Geelong’s CBD.

Kennedy Nolan’s Gunn Ridge House won a national award for residential architecture following its renovation of a historic home.

The firm also won the national award for interior architecture at Melbourne Place, a new 14-storey hotel on Russell Street.

“The interiors draw inspiration from the city’s best features: dimly lit laneways, hidden bars and a fearless use of colour,” the jury citation said.

Fieldwork’s nine-storey Everlane Cremorne building won a national award for commercial architecture.

Commendations were also handed to the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre in Parkville, the renovated Carlton Cottage in Carlton, and Pascoe Vale Primary School.

Kennedy Nolan’s Melbourne Place was also given a commendation for commercial architecture.

The jury chair, Jane Cassidy, said the 43 projects honoured on Thursday offered innovative solutions to housing, climate and cost-of-living challenges.

“These models can and should inspire better communities across our country,” she said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.