In celebration of success

Conducting industry awards not only ensures the best designers receive national recognition, but it also provides inspiration for younger designers.

This year, the Grand Excellence Winner in the Commercial Buildings category of the Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA) was Frank Templeton of Concept Drafting in South Australia.

Templeton was called in to help add new offices and a cafe to the premises of the Hollick wine brand. After years of ad hoc additions, the site was a fragmented concoction of buildings from different eras, including the original 1870s cottage.

Templeton's design, which focuses on the cylindrical shapes of wine barrels, created a new building behind the old cottage, tying all existing buildings together.

Judges commented that these additions successfully integrate existing heritage buildings and newer utilitarian industrial sheds into a harmonious whole.

Contact Frank Templeton Concept Drafting on phone (08) 8443 8255. Email: adel@conceptdrafting.com.au.

Meyer Shircore & Associates, winner of the Best Commercial Interiors award, designed new offices for Webb & Brown Neaves. Because the company's business is building quality homes, it wanted its new offices to have a contemporary, corporate atmosphere.

Meyer Shircore used frameless glass balustrading, polished concrete finishes, stainless steel feature panels and a muted colour palette to achieve this. Double volume spaces and a broad stairway leadingfrom the ground floor entry foyer all add to the grandeur of the design.

The judges said these finishes and details all helped contribute toward creating the corporate image wanted by the building owner.

Because the building is subject to a Mediterranean-type climate, Meyer Shircore designed it with the main elevations facing north and east to ensure the glazing could be shaded from the sun.

Contact Meyer Shircore and Associates Design Consultants, phone (08) 9381 8511. Email: msa@meyershircore.com.au

Rydlyme International wanted a landmark signature building that positively reflected its company image. In achieving this, Erling De Beer of Gavin Construction won an award in the Industrial Buildings' category.

De Beer's design approach was to utilise standard construction materials in a way that would be cost-effective and yet innovative.

Standard aluminium window sections, assembled on an angle, helped meet this objective. These were complemented by using a concrete panel placed on an angle to frame the glass box. A reception desk echoing these angles provides a strong visual statement at the main entrance to the offices.

De Beer's innovative use of standard, commonly used materials was overwhelmingly achieved in the design of Rydlyme International's new offices, say the judges.

Contact Erling De Beer, Gavin Construction, phone (08) 9330 8000. Email: erling@gavinconstruction.com.au.

Humour in design helped a family-owned Queensland company win the award in the Public Buildings, Special Projects/Structures category.

Ian Darnell of Nspire Planning and Design won this award for his design for the new Wickham Freightlines Depot.

The owners of this transport company wanted an office modelled on a Kenworth truck. Darnell retained a simple, rectangular shape but incorporated elements such as curved awnings, a stack using a downpipe, a large sheet of glass as a windscreen and a tilted wall. The overall effect is of a cab-style truck with a Kenworth grille, handpainted side-lights and windscreen wipers.

"This special project in rural Queensland reminds us there is still room for humour in design," say the judges.

Contact Nspire Planning and Design, phone (07) 4661 3714. Email: darnell@nspire.com.au.

Or for more information on the BDAA, contact the office at Suite 104, 10 Help Street, Chatswood NSW 2067, phone (02) 9413 9352. Email: ceo@bdaa.com.au.

Story by: Trendsideas