An exceptionally sustainable project designed by BVN Architecture has won two Interior Design Awards (IDA) that were announced yesterday, Friday 23 April. This is the third year in a row that BVN projects have been winners in these prestigious annual awards.

The Goods Shed North in Melbourne’s Docklands, won the award for Corporate Design as well as the Environmentally Sustainable Design Award.

‘It is significant that the jury has chosen to give two key awards to a project that is based on adaptive reuse, as reusing existing buildings is one of the most important principles in sustainable design,’ said Ninotschka Titchkosky, BVN Principal.

Ms Titchkosky noted that the refurbishment of the Goods Shed North, an old railway goods shed, presented an incredible opportunity to renew a derelict piece of Melbourne's history.

According to the jury for the Corporate Design award, a timeless interior has been created by BVN, ‘through expert planning and manipulation of volume in which the interior sits as an architectural landscape within an heritage envelope.

The challenge presented by the base building was expertly addressed with an unflinching interior focused design approach that maximized the spatial qualities through a clever break up of planning and a mix of open, semi-open and enclosed volumes.’

The Environmentally sustainable design award was given to BVN for demonstrating, ‘how significant esd outcomes can be achieved through a creative interior design approach without being constrained by heritage considerations.’

The jury also noted how the Goods Shed North improved indoor environment quality makes a noteworthy contribution to worker health and well being and to company productivity. 

‘It was the authenticity of the Goods Shed that created a really unique feeling, one that you could never capture in an entirely new workplace building,’ said Ms Titchkosky.

The IDA Awards recognise and celebrate interior design excellence via a credible, industry-based program, which is backed by the Design Institute of Australia, the professional body representing Australian designers.

These latest awards add to BVN’s growing architecture prize collection, which now exceeds more than 120 in the last five years.