| William Wardell Award for Public Architecture | |
| Current Awards: | Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre |
| Awarded For: | Public Architecture in Victoria |
| Presenter: | Australian Institute of Architects (Victoria Chapter) |
| Country: | Australia |
| Year2: | 2024 |
The William Wardell Award for Public Architecture is the highest honour awarded annually for public buildings in Victoria, Australia and is presented by the Victoria Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) at the Victorian Architecture Awards. It has been awarded 28 consecutive times from 1996 to 2024.
The award recognises 'completed works of architecture of the highest quality' in the public architecture category. Previously the award was offered for 'institutional buildings' with winning and commended projects including a wider array of building types.
Projects in this awards category must be predominantly of a public or institutional nature and generally fall within Building Code of Australia (BCA) Class 9, excluding projects within the definition of 'Educational Architecture or any BCA Class 9b building used primarily for educational purposes'.[1] [2] In 1997 the previous institutional awards were recategorised into separate and distinct public, educational and commercial categories.
A total of 15 of the 24 named awards (62%) presented between 1996 and 2024 were also awarded the top award, the Victorian Architecture Medal at the same awards.
ARM Architecture (Ashton Raggatt McDougall) have won the award on five separate occasions: 1996, 2004, 2009, 2015 and 2016.[3]
Winners of this award are eligible for consideration in the annual national Australian Institute of Architects architecture awards for the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, usually announced in October or November. Projects awarded either the Named Award or Architecture Awards in the William Wardell Award can also be considered for the National Award in the same year. To 2023 only three projects from Victoria have gone on to win the national award.[4]
The naming of the award recognises English born architect and civil engineer William Wardell (1823–1899). Wardell was appointed government architect in Victoria in 1858. He designed many important public and eccliastical buildings in Melbourne over a 20-year period. After being dismissed by the government Wardell moved to Sydney, extending his career as an influential and important public architect. He died in North Sydney in 1899.[5]
| Year | Winner | Project | Location | Other AIA awards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jackson Clements Burrows Architects | Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre | 91—97 Thompson Avenue, Cowes | ||
| 2023 | Wardle | Bendigo Law Courts[6] [7] [8] |
| ||
| 2022 | Brearley Architects and Urbanists with Grant Amon Architects | Victorian Pride Centre[9] | |||
| 2021 | Lyons | Springvale Community Hub[11] |
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| 2020 | Terroir | Penguin Parade Visitor Centre[12] | 1019 Ventnor Road, Summerlands |
| |
| 2019 | Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design | Parliament of Victoria Members' Annexe | Spring Street, East Melbourne |
| |
| 2017 | Silver Thomas Hanley, DesignInc & McBride Charles Ryan[13] | Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) | 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne | ||
| 2016 |
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| 2015 | Shrine of Remembrance Galleries of Remembrance[14] | Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne |
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| 2014 | McBride Charles Ryan | Dallas Brooks Community Primary School | |||
| 2013 | Sean Godsell Architects in association with Peddle Thorp Architects | RMIT University Design Hub (Building 100) | 150 Victoria Street, Carlton |
| |
| 2012 | Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart[16] | 50 Flemington Road, Parkville |
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| 2011 | Cox Architecture | AAMI Park | Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne |
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| 2010 | Woods Bagot and NH Architecture | 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf |
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| 2009 | Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre Project, (Southbank Theatre) | 31 Sturt Street, Southbank |
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| 2008 | John Wardle Architecture | 47 Domain Road, Melbourne |
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| 2007 | Grimshaw Jackson Joint Venture | Southern Cross Station[17] | Spencer Street, Melbourne |
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| 2006 | Minifie Nixon with Rush\Wright | Australian Wildlife Health Centre[19] [20] | |||
| 2005 | McBride Charles Ryan Architecture and Interior Design | Templestowe Park Primary School Multipurpose Hall | 399 Church Road, Templestowe | ||
| 2004 | Shrine of Remembrance Visitor Centre and Garden Courtyard | Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne |
| ||
| 2003 | Sean Godsell | Woodleigh School Science Building | 485 Golf Links Road, Langwarrin South | ||
| 2002 | Lyons | Victoria University Online Training Centre, St Albans Campus[21] | University Boulevard, St Albans | ||
| 2001 | Melbourne Museum[22] [23] | 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton Gardens, Carlton | |||
| 2000 | John Wardle Architects and Demaine Partnership in association | RMIT Printing Facility, Brunswick Campus (later known as the International Centre of Graphic Technology, closed c.2014)[24] [25] | 25 Dawson Street, Brunswick | ||
| 1999 | Nation Fender Katsalidis Architects | Ian Potter Museum of Art[26] | Swanston Street, Melbourne |
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| 1998 | Wood Marsh with Pels Innes Nielson Kosloff | RMIT Building 220 (later known as Leo Foster Building, since 2014) | Clements Drive, RMIT Campus, Bundoora | ||
| 1997 | Peter Elliott with Morton Dunn | Ballarat Town Hall refurbishment[27] | 225 Sturt Street, Ballarat | ||
| 1996 | Storey Hall (RMIT Building 16) | 336 Swanston Street, Melbourne |
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