News / Architecture
Balam Balam Place wins big at state architecture awards
Prizes come a year after precinct opened to public
Mark Phillips
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Balam Balam Place in Brunswick has been winning hearts since it opened to the public 15 months ago; now it’s winning awards as well.
At the recent Victorian Architecture Awards, the arts and community precinct in the heart of Brunswick picked up three prizes, including being crowned the state’s best new public architecture.
The awards were shared between lead architects Kennedy Nolan, environmental consultants Finding Infinity, and landscape architects Openwork.
Balam Balam Place, which is on the corner of Saxon and Phoenix streets and next to the Brunswick Baths, was embraced by the community almost from the moment it opened in March last year.
It features 3500 square metres of floor space for arts and community activities, divided into three main zones.
At its centre is a refurbished two-storey mansion that was built in 1888 for industrial pioneer Joseph Cornwell but for most of the 20th century was owned by the Catholic Church as the St Ambrose Presbytery and later part of nearby Trinity Catholic Regional College.
The shell of one of the school buildings has been retained as a dramatic entrance into the precinct from Phoenix Street with a columned walkway leading through to the open space in front of the mansion. The eastern wall facing towards Sydney Road features a striking mural by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie.
At southern end of Balam Balam Place is a new five level building that contains a cafe, creative tenancies, a maternal and child health centre, and the Blak Dot Gallery and Blakademy. The new building also has numerous spaces for hire for events, seminars, workshops, rehearsals and other uses.
Just as important as the buildings – and arguably more popular with visitors – are 2500 square metres of open space which incorporates existing trees, luscious grass, native gardens and outdoor seating.
With a budget of about $30 million, Balam Balam Place is one of the largest single capital investments ever undertaken by Merri-bek Council.
Merri-bek Council bought the land in 2010 for about $7 million after the closure of Trinity Catholic Regional College and for several years it was known as both 33 Saxon Street and Siteworks.
The project took 18 months and came in at twice the original budget due to escalating construction costs.
Balam Balam Place is managed by These Are The Projects We Do Together and its rooms are available to community organisations and arts workers of all shapes and sizes.
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At the Victorian Architecture Awards, Balam Balam Place won prizes for Public Architecture and Urban Design and was joint winner in the Heritage category. It was also commended for Steel Architecture and Sustainable Architecture.
In the Public Architecture award, the four judges praised the acknowledgement of the site’s past history, including the retention of the school building.
“The overall impression of the project is one of inclusion, participation, and joy, many of the attributes contemporary public architecture should be seeking,” the judges said.
In the Urban Design award, the judging panel said Balam Balam Place was an exemplar of urban renewal and civic space.
“Thoughtfully considered, but with a sense of being incomplete, it enables the community to imagine what happens next,” they said.
Balam Balam Place shared the Heritage Award with two other projects. The judges said it challenged conventional approaches of heritage and significance.
“Rather than focusing on a singular colonial relic, Kennedy Nolan have presented the whole site’s history as layered, contested, and deeply local,” they said.
“Former hierarchies are dismantled, now understood through siting, scale and architectural form.”
They said the result was “a collection of buildings in dialogue, each telling an important story, contributing to Brunswick’s social heritage now and for the future”.
Balam Balam Place was not the only Brunswick project to win at this year’s awards.
Nine Wilson Avenue, a five level apartment complex above retail spaces near Jewell Station, won the Best Overend Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing.
Designed by MA+Co, it was praised by the judges as “an exemplary model for contemporary apartment living, distinguished by the clarity and generosity with which it addresses the everyday experience of residents”.
Kennedy Nolan also won an award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing with Nightingale Umarkoo Wayi, which is on Sydney Road in Coburg, near the corner of Rennie Street.
The judges said the apartments were rich, highly functional and carefully resolved, with thoughtful consideration given to storage, amenity and efficient planning.
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