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BVN has won three prestigious awards at The Australian Institute of Architects’ National Architecture Awards announced on Thursday evening.

Marrickville Library by BVN has won the prestigious Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture as well as receiving the David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture.

Marrickville Library represents an evolving vision for new public buildings by creating a distinctive, contemporary and genuinely welcoming environment that has reinvigorated the historic urban setting by placing community life at its heart,
– Jury.

This significant accolade highlights the ongoing evolution of BVN’s work, and our commitment to creating architecture with an emphasis on communities, our focus on adaptation and re-use of buildings and our desire to create civic hubs, centres of community and sustainable places.

MLC School Senior Centre by BVN has won the National Educational Architecture Award, reflecting BVN’s growing reputation and recognition around how we re-imagine the role of learning spaces, designing educational architecture that is adaptable for the future.

This state of-the-art building has truly raised the bar for learner-centred design in the future by creating a collaborative, democratic and interactive space for students and staff,
– Jury.

The three awards recognise BVN’s vision of minimising the impact to the environment, prioritising wellbeing, community connection and designing learning models with longevity. BVN has created places that people thrive in.

 

Marrickville Library – David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture

The transformation of the former heritage listed Marrickville hospital building, into a new library, shows the innovation and successful repurposing of space.  The development sought to maximise opportunities for urban revitalisation through the re-use of an old building into a new library. This previously abandoned hospital campus and ward block was reorganised and transformed into a new public hub, now known as Patyegarang Place. The community’s vision for the new library called for a diverse and accessible community space, demonstrating leadership in technology and sustainability, through its design, programs and services. The design creates a new civic precinct that extends beyond the traditional role of the library and is an inclusive and welcoming place for all.

Marrickville Library is uncompromising with regards to sustainability. Recycled elements, materials and design features have resulted in a 25% reduction in energy use. The adaptive reuse of the old hospital building ensures its cultural rehabilitation and represents a responsible and sustainable response to the environmental cost of new construction. The building is a true example of sustainable construction and ongoing operation, with an abundance of natural light, incorporation of natural/mixed-mode ventilation as well as the use of sustainable timber and recycled bricks. The materials selected for the design, sought to maximise reuse, as well as renewable and low embodied energy materials.

MLC Senior Learning Centre– National Educational Architecture

MLC Senior Learning Centre represents a shared vision, designing flexible and progressive learning spaces that can evolve over time, whilst supporting wellness and social integration.  The new Senior Learning Centre at MLC School is part of the overall Master Plan for the MLC Burwood campus. The Senior Centre is a new four storey building, designed much like an office building – allowing for future flexibility as learning pedagogies change overtime. A new external spine to link the new building, the courtyards and the remaining buildings on the site, has enabled the topography of the campus to make sense. It draws people through the site and easily introduces the new building and external teaching spaces.

The building offers a variety of different learning spaces—enclosed teaching spaces, open collaborative learning spaces, science laboratories, amphitheatre seating, seminar rooms and quiet rooms, provide staff and students with a flexible, contemporary building. It is focused around an internal, central atrium. The ‘pop-out’ meeting and quiet rooms also project off the atrium and the stairs run through this space as well.

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Contact details for project awards:

All General Enquiries
Phil Spedding, Head of Brand and Communications: Phil_Spedding@bvn.com.au

Marrickville Library 
Bill Dowzer, Principal BVN: Bill_Dowzer@bvn.com.au

MLC School Senior Centre 
Phillip Rossington, Principal BVN: Phillip_Rossington@bvn.com.au

Photography:
Ben Guthrie, MLC School Senior Centre
Tom Roe, Marrickville Library

During the COVID 19 pandemic, we were one of the few architectural practices in Australia that had the capability to transition overnight to a full working from home model, having built resilience into our practice by implementing a completely virtualised desktop computer environment. This has given us a proven track record with fully remote teams continuing to deliver for projects across Australia. This ensures we get the best people and expertise for your project irrespective of location.

In line with the COVID 19 restrictions lifting, from the beginning of July, we implemented a hybrid working model, working from studio and working from home. This hybrid model is evolving as we learn the best methods of communicating with a divergent workforce. Our aim is to continually support our people, enabling those who wish to continue working from their homes, focusing on their wellbeing, with weekly check-ins, as well as supporting those who will be back in our studios. This offers us a unique opportunity to actively explore the benefits of choice, where people work with balance, focusing on their holistic wellbeing. This is an exciting time of evolution in workspace practices. We are committed to providing excellence in shaping the new future of workplace modelling, in servicing our clients, and in the delivery of our projects.

 

GETTING IN TOUCH

You can reach us on the main studio phone line or contact our people directly, via mobile or email, as usual. If you have any concerns or require further clarity about working arrangements, please be in touch.

We’ll see you soon, virtually.

Meet Tristan, one of our Data Analysts at BVN, sharing with us his experience firefighting during Australia’s worst ever fire season.

Tristan Anlezark is a Data Analyst here at BVN, who is also a volunteer fire fighter. We wanted to share with you a post he shared with us in December as the fires were starting to take on cataclysmic proportions. Sometimes hearing it from someone on the front line is the most powerful way we can understand what it’s like for our firefighters, out there battling the blazes to save our lives, our country and our homes. Thank you, Tristan, for being one of the brave people who have risked your own safety to ensure ours.

Post by Tristan Anlezark, December 2019

Recently I have been taking time off work to go fight fires.
I live in the Blue Mountains which, like much of Australia at the moment, is on fire. The enormous fires to the north and south threaten every home in the region and have been pouring smoke all over Sydney for the past few weeks.
People have been asking about it, so here’s some common questions and answers.

How is it going?

Bad. Really bad.
This fire season is unprecedented. We’ve never seen anything like it before, and resources are stretched to the limit. As I mentioned before the Blue Mountains has fires to the North and South (we’re surrounded!) We’re really feeling the pinch as everyone is already exhausted. There were similar fires in 1994 and 2001 and we had help from firefighting agencies all around Australia. This time there’s so much fire around that we’re having to go it alone.

Bushfires on the scale we’re currently facing are better described as weather events. The only thing that can extinguish blazes this large is heavy and continual rain. My favourite comparison is a cyclone – you save what you can and wait for it to pass.

What do firefighters do?
When conditions are safer, we can attempt more direct measures. The classic ‘wet stuff on hot stuff’ method we all know and love, or ‘dry’ techniques where we literally rake the leaf-litter out of the way of the fire, denying it anything to burn.

When fire weather is too dangerous to face directly our best option is to burn the bush before the fire arrives. This is called backburning and whilst it has obvious risks, it is often our only option when fighting fires which can crown to 70m or taller flames. Far better to burn the bush before it can get that severe.

Is it worse because of Climate Change?

Yes. This isn’t in doubt.

BVN is cool (A new reason)

BVN has been exceptional in giving me indefinite special paid leave, which is an exception to the rule; many employers have only allowed firefighters to take annual leave.
I have friends who have given the entirety of their holidays for the year to fight these fires. This occurs not due to business owners being too psychopathic to see the value of firefighters, but due to small businesses not having the capital to spare. I cannot understate the value of companies like BVN who give freely of their staff to fight these fires.

“Not on fire” is a better future in my book.

Photos taken by Dale Klemke.