The Australian Institute of Architects will hold an inaugural meet-and-greet for Melbourne design teams responsible for award winning projects in regional Victoria.
The ‘D’Or: A Day in Bendigo’ will be held on Saturday October 31 in the Victorian city, and will feature presentations from NMBW (Pioneer Museum Plaza), Cox Architects (Hepburn Springs Bath House) and BVN Architecture/Gray Puksand (Bendigo Bank Headquarters).
Architecture firms play an integral role in the preservation of history and identity, when working on projects in regional Australia, on projects such as the Bendigo Bank Headquarters.
Bendigo Bank’s corporate affairs spokesperson, Will Rayner, praised the architects’ engagement process and research on the headquarters project.
“BVN and Gray Puksand quickly grasped the sensitive nature of our central city site and spent a lot of time here looking at the streetscape and meeting with our staff and the locals,” said Rayner.
Community input directly influenced the master plan for the Bendigo Bank Headquarters, more than for any of its other commercial projects; it was on the bank briefing notes that BVN sought the input from staff and the community.
“Public sentiment towards the former historic Lyric Theatre was very strong and Lyric Square emerged as a major feature in revitalising the precinct. The bank’s investment at this site has returned a lot of life to central Bendigo,” said Bill Dowzer from BVN Architecture.
Institute’s Victorian president, Karl Fender, said involving the local community in public and commercial projects will always result in a higher quality of design.
“Hospitals, schools, libraries, banks — skilled architects and design teams talk to the people these facilities are being built for, and the people whose towns and community pride can be lifted by excellent design,” Fender said.
Architects won’t be the only ones visiting Bendigo, for the first time, an exhibition of Victorian Architecture Award winners will go on display outside Melbourne, at the Bendigo Banks’ headquarters in Pall Mall.
D’Or: A day in Bendigo will be held at Latrobe University Visual Arts Centre, from 10am to 6pm. Entry is $70 (includes morning and afternoon tea, lunch and closing drinks) visit www.architecture.com.au/vic for more details.
