Toowoomba’s Cobb and Co Museum by architecture practice Project Services has won the greatest recognition at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2011 Queensland Architecture Awards.

Organisers noted the poignancy that at a time of great challenge for the Queensland tourism industry following the State’s recent natural disasters, an architectural tourism project breathing life into a regional community took out top honours at the State's Awards.

Awards Jury Director Malcolm Middleton announced that the museum designers were winners of the 2011 F.D.G Stanley Award for Public Architecture.

Cobb and Co Museum at Toowoomba by Project Services. Image: Richard Stringer

The jury found: “The Cobb and Co Museum is the culmination of over 20 years of partnership by the facility director and designer.

“The whimsical and ever changing nature of the collection and presentation options is reflected in the carefully established relaxed but engaging spaces and places within this active complex. Community outreach and engagement are embedded into the built form as is the careful blend of historic reference and context acknowledgment that is developed for the site.”

Middleton commented on challenges facing the State’s tourism industry, including the high Australian dollar and the reluctance by domestic and offshore visitors to visit Queensland following on from the summer of natural disasters.

A number of other public projects designed to save, nurture and enhance life from the cradle to the grave also received awards — with Public Architecture Awards presented to the Kingaroy Crematorium by JMA Architects QLD Pty Ltd and the Queensland Emergency Operations Centre by Architectus.

Kingaroy Crematorium by JMA Architects Qld. Image: John Mainwaring

State Commendations were presented to inspiring educational projects at Parkhurst State School in Rockhampton by Arkhefield and the Father Rosenskjar Resource Centre at Mt.Gravatt by Macksey Rush Architects.

Parkhurst State School by Arkhefield

In a further boost for the State’s tourism industry, the 2011 Don Roderick Award for Heritage was presented to the Cairns Cruise Terminal by Arkhefield and Total Project Group Architects in Association, with the jury describing it as an “important addition to the urban, cultural and commercial mix of the Cairns CBD”.

Two vastly different and unique new island homes off Queensland became the major residential winners for 2011.

A house on Hamilton Island offering a ‘modernist highly crafted living environment with inbuilt climatic flexibility and a slowly unfolding richness of space, place, material and detail’ - Solis by Renato D’Ettorre Architects - received the top residential award, the Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture — Houses.

Solis by Renato D’Ettorre Architects. Image: Mads Mogensen

DHAN plus by Donovan Hill on North Stradbroke Island received a State Award for Residential Architecture — Houses, with the jury describing the project as a “true collaboration between the architect and builder resulting in a delightful outcome”.

In total more than 220 architectural projects vied for awards in Queensland this year, with 78 progressing from regional level to contend for State awards. All up, 35 awards and commendations were presented to 30 architecture practices from around the State. These now go on to contend for National Architecture Awards, to be announced at MONA near Hobart on Thursday 3 November.

A ‘grand scale’ building bringing together 1,000 scientists from eight locations into a single collaborative research environment — the Ecosciences Precinct at Dutton Park in Brisbane by HASSELL — received the Beatrice Hutton Award for Commercial Architecture.

Ecosciences Precinct by HASSELL. Image: Christopher Frederick Jones

The jury said “the highly rational arrangement of various laboratories, office spaces and support areas, belies the complexity of the facility’s program and the skilful hand of its architectural guidance”.

Middleton commented on the quality of commercial projects, despite what was considered a stagnant property industry and continuing difficulties for financing, which were limiting commercial growth options for many regions.

The Nudgee College Tierney Auditorium by m3architecture received the G.H.M. Addison Award for Interior Architecture, with the jury saying: “The renovation of this building has produced an exceptionally good result for the client on a number of levels: it is a refurbishment — making use of an existing facility rather than demolishing and rebuilding; it is functional and flexible; and, it is an iconic and memorable interior that creates a new language in theatre design.”

In a double win for the practice, m3architecture also received the Karl Langer Award for Urban Design for the Yeeroongpilly Footbridge in Brisbane — a “striking, humorous and well-executed solution”.

Other major award winners included:

The Scott Street Apartments by Jackson Teece Architecture — recipients of the Job & Froud Award for Residential Architecture — Multiple Housing
Wilson Architects Office by Wilson Architects — recipients of the Hayes & Scott Award for Small Project Architecture;
The Dandiiri Contact Centre by Project Services — winner of the Harry S. Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture;
Heron Island Research Centre by dm2architecture — winner of the Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture;
53 Albert Street ‘landlines’ by nettleon tribe partnership pty ltd — recipients of an Art and Architecture State Commendation; and
The Riverside Centre by Harry Seidler & Associations — the 2011 winner of the Enduring Architecture Award.

Commenting on this year’s award in general, Mr Middleton said the jury had noted a number of key trends, including:

“Rays of sunshine can be seen in areas such as the Cruise ship area with projects like the Cairns Cruise Terminal. This project reinforces the value of adaptive reuse of buildings as often the most economically sustainable approach and one that delivers some history and soul to the building.
“Reconstruction post floods and cyclones is well advanced in many regional areas and this momentum hopefully will offer new parallel design opportunities.
“There considerable expenditure on education facilities is not just contained to the BER area, with major projects coming on stream in the tertiary education sector, and projects such the EcoSciences project in Brisbane delivering significant buildings for State growth in an international setting.
“The role of design is being talked about throughout the State and regional cities are becoming more engaged in understanding the importance of excellence in the built environment - translating to more identity of place and a clear expression of enhanced lifestyle and facilities to support the anticipated growth that will occur across the state over the next decades.
“Retirement living is a growth area and standards are variable in this sector with the best projects really delivering places of value not just of interim care.
“As always there are a number of genuinely creative projects - with the M3 Tierney Auditorium, James Russell’s Raven Street House, Solis on Hamilton Island for sheer aesthetic delight and the Yeerongpilly Bridge each pushing new boundaries of expression.
“The BER range of projects illustrate that despite the challenges of the delivery system good outcomes are possible - but only when there is a strong desire in the design team to deliver a good outcome together with a supportive client and contractor structure. The good outcomes show how disappointing the poorer outcomes are.”

David Wheeldon

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