Convention dictates

NH ‘carted’ away four tubes of paper tonight – various awards for their convention centre on Melbourne’s Yarra. It looks like a fine piece of work, but I’ve never stepped over the threshold – not a great convention attendee. Looking at the Convention Centre website , they only have two conferences booked in the next three months. Must be the off season.

The convention centre was built as part of a bloated PPP development made profitable by containing a large Direct Factory Outlet. Perhaps they should have had to enter them together. If it all seems a bit familiar, you’re remembering Southern Cross Station. Is PPP now code for building an unprofitable and pricey building joined at the hip to a highly profitable DFO big box?

That’s probably a bit mean to the fine building that won. But it did come within a dodgy package that supported its level of refinement, and that surely can’t be ignored…?

Other winners are Wood Marsh (Port Phillip Winery, Eastlink Freeway) and Lyons (LyonsHouseMuseum). McBride Charles Ryan deservedly won for their stunning Fitzroy High School. And Hassell won for that monster of a building at Docklands – the ANZ. Not too loveable on the outside – it looks like it fell out of Potsdamer Platz – but apparently inside it is a wonder.

It was also a night for lesser known small practices. Breathe Architecture , Multiplicity , March Studio , Andrew Maynard , and Justin Mallia all won awards – sometimes two.

MC Virginia Trioli seems to enjoy telling people off. She had a go at architects collecting awards – why did architects saunter up to collect them while in other industries people practically ran? But her biggest salvo was aimed at the Architecture and Design website, who published the embargoed media release about six hours before the awards. Apparently they didn’t attend. The article has been removed.

Pics soon.

[ Seem to be back blogging, was unavoidably detained for a while there ]

Posted by Peter on 25.06.10 in awards