Melbourne Prize
The Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize is an Australian architectural award. It is awarded annually at the Victorian Architecture Awards by a jury appointed by the Victoria Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects to architectural projects that have made a significant contribution to the public life of Melbourne, Australia. It was first awarded in 1997 to Six Degrees Architects for the small bar Meyers Place.
Background
Eligibility
The winner is drawn from direct-entry categories in the annual Victorian Architecture Awards program, and any project located within the urban growth boundary of the Melbourne metropolitan area is eligible for consideration for the prize which can be drawn from any category in the awards. The prize has been given to 32 individual projects in the 28 years since it was established.Named Award
In 2023 the Melbourne Prize became a named award, to be known as the Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize. The naming of the award was made in recognition of Reed's urban and architectural contributions to the city and the architectural profession as a practitioner, academic and media commentator.1997 inaugural prize – Meyers Place
Background
From the conception of the prize a range of scales and project types have been awarded that significantly added to the civic and cultural identity of Melbourne's CBD. The first winner in 1997 was a small low budget eponymous laneway bar known simply as Meyers Place as it was located in Meyers Place, a narrow north–south lane running off Bourke Street in the east end of the city, in the same small building that the late night Waiters Club Restaurant was located in. The bar was meant to be untitled but informally used its laneway name as its moniker. It was designed, built, operated and owned by Six Degrees Architects, with a start up cost of around $30,000 in 1994.Melbourne's first laneway bar
The Meyers Place project was created by the young office as a means of displaying their innovative skills not only as designers and builders, but also as urbanists, where architecture and design could stimulate city life and create new communities and activities in the city after hours.The bar was the first to use the new General Licence Class B and was at the forefront of the developing word–of–mouth small laneway bar scene that spread through the back streets and lanes of Melbourne in the mid to late 1990s. These bars became a significant part of the cultural landscape of the city, providing interesting fit outs in out-of-the-way locations. The bar scene that followed provided not only a place to meet but also helped activate the evening economy of the city, a great change from the rustbelt recession years of the early 1990s when the city was empty at night. A review described the venue as such ''"..the bar's roller door, shagpile-carpeted walls and recycled timber interior was the mainspring of a recycled aesthetic which became a Melbourne signature. Cramped and casual, regulars would comment that it felt more like a party than a venue, especially at 2am after a few Melbourne Bitter longnecks."''
Closure and relocation
The bar closed in June 2017 after the long held lease was not renewed. The bar was relocated by Drew Pettifer and Heather Larkin piece–by–piece — a city block north to 24 Crossley Street — with most of the fitout making the move to new premises. Meyers Place 2.0 closed in March 2021, a year after the first Covid–19 pandemic lockdowns severely impacted Melbourne's hospitality scene. In 2024 the bar was reopened under the name of Bard's Apothecary by Carmel and Matthew Molony. “We feel like we’re holding on to a little bit of Melbourne history...You don’t get much more Melbourne laneway than this bar. The legacy lives on, and we celebrate that." noted Carmel.1997 commendations
Three commendations were also given in the first year of the Melbourne Prize to; Drewery Lane apartments by Warren J. Foster; Emery apartment, Melbourne Terrace Apartments, by Nonda Katsalidis; and the Promenade at Southbank by The Buchan Group with Denton Corker Marshall.1998 and 1999 awards
The 1998 prize was awarded to a very differently scaled project and budget for the $25m redevelopment of the former high end classical 1880s Georges Department Store at 162–168 Collins Street, Melbourne. The refurbishment was designed by architect Daryl Jackson with Conran Design Partnership from the UK. The building was restored and adaptively modified to include a range of retail concessions, restaurants, and a Conran Design Store. A commendation was given to Peter Elliott with Curnow Freiverts Glover for State Government Offices at Treasury Place.The 1999 prize was awarded to Nation Fender Katsalidis for the Ian Potter Museum of Art located on Swanston Street, Parkville, within the University of Melbourne campus. The museum is strongly defined by its street facade that features an array of classical sculptures. The museum also took out the highest award, the Victorian Architecture Medal, for project of the year, and the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, the first occasion that one project took out all three awards. A commendation was presented to Allom Lovell and Associates with Daryl Jackson for the Immigration Museum project on Flinders Street.
2000 to 2009 awards
The 2000 prize was won by Peter Elliott for the Observatory Gate Precinct at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. The project created a new entrance, outdoor plaza, amenities and visitor centre for the Botanic Garden incorporating the former Melbourne Observatory and Charles La Trobe's 'triangle sites' in the gardens and parklands. Gregory Burgess Architects was awarded a commendation for the Catholic Theological College in East Melbourne. This was the last year commendations were given, with only single or joint winners awarded from 2001.The 2001 prize was won for the EQ Project at Hamer Hall by NMBW Architecture Studio, since demolished for the 2010 upgrade by Ashton Raggatt McDougall.
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl upgrade in the Kings Domain by Gregory Burgess Architects was awarded the prize in 2002.
The architecture competition winning scheme for Federation Square by Lab Architecture Studio in collaboration with Bates Smart won the award along with four other awards in 2003.
In 2004 the prize was awarded to Ashton Raggatt McDougall for the Shrine of Remembrance Visitor Centre and Garden Courtyard.
The 2005 prize was awarded to NH Architecture for the QV mixed use 'urban village' and retail redevelopment between Swanston and Russell Streets in the Melbourne CBD. The QV project created a series of new laneways and connections through the whole city block on which the project is sited "...the design was informed by the model of Melbourne’s laneways as the generator of the urban form".
ARM Architecture again received the prize in 2006 for the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre redevelopment on Swanston Street and La Trobe Street. For the first time a joint winner was declared with The Urban Workshop also awarded the 2006 Melbourne Prize, designed by John Wardle Architects, Hassell and NH Architecture in joint venture.
The 2007 Prize was awarded to the Sandridge Bridge Precinct Redevelopment over the Yarra River by City of Melbourne in association with Nadim Karam and Marcus O’Reilly.
Six Degrees Architects also collected the award for a second time in 2008 with their redevelopment of The Vaults on the Yarra River beneath Federation Square for use as their own architecture offices and the adjacent licensed 'Riverland' bar. The site is now known as Federation Wharf. The 2008 Jury was Peter Crone, Alfred deBruyne and Mel Dodd.
The Canada Hotel Redevelopment for student housing on Swanston Street and Pelham Street, Carlton designed by Hayball won the prize in 2009.
2010 to 2019 awards
2010 Prize
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre by joint venture architects, Woods Bagot and NH Architecture was awarded the 2010 Melbourne Prize in addition to the Victorian Architecture Medal, William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, Steel Architecture Award and the Award for Sustainable Architecture.2011 Prize
The 2011 prize was won by Cox Architecture for Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne's major rectangular football stadium.2012 Prize
In 2012 the Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart was awarded the prize. Maggie Edmond was the chair of the jury in 2012.2013 Prize
In 2013 the prize was awarded to BKK Architects/TCL Partnership for the Lonsdale Street Boulevard project, part of 'Revitalising Central Dandenong' in south east Melbourne, around 30 kilometres from the CBD. This was the first time the Melbourne Prize was awarded to a project in suburban Melbourne. The jury was Tim Shannon ; Ann Lau from Hayball and Alan Pert from the Melbourne School of Design.2014 Prize
In addition to the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, the Dallas Brooks Community Primary School located 17 kilometres north of Melbourne CBD in the suburb of Dallas designed by McBride Charles Ryan took out the 2014 Melbourne Prize. For the second year in a row an outer suburban project won the prize.2015 Prize
The 2015 jury was chaired by Graham Brawn and included Harley Vincent and Fiona Dunin. The 2015 Melbourne Prize shortlist included; Bridging Boyd by Jolson Architecture Interiors Landscape, Domain Road Apartments by Wood Marsh Architecture, Lab 14 Carlton Connect Initiative by NMBW Architecture Studio, Monash University North West Precinct by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, MPavilion by Sean Godsell Architects, New Municipal Building and Civic Square by Lyons and Shrine of Remembrance, Galleries of Remembrance by ARM Architecture.ARM Architecture won a third Melbourne Prize and a second for the same project for additional work at the Shrine of Remembrance, Galleries of Remembrance and southern courtyards with landscape architects Rush\Wright in 2015. Amy Muir, Chair of Juries described it as robust and sympathetic in its approach to detailing and built execution, the Stage Two addition provides an exemplar, quality architectural intervention which also received unanimous support as the winner of the 2015 Victorian Architecture Medal and late in the same year presented with the national 2015 Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture.