Former Architectural Review editor Andrew Mackenzie’s design competition consultancy CityLab has been appointed on the Flinders Street Station Design Competition.
Victoria launched the $1 million international Flinders Street Station precinct design competition in November. The aim is to attract the world’s best architects to Melbourne.
The competition is calling for the ‘world’s best ideas to restore and reinvigorate’ the Flinders Street Station precinct, including the station concourse, platforms and historic administration building and through to the Banana Alley Vaults and Queensbridge.
The Competition Adviser acts as an impartial intermediary between the State, the competition jury, the Project Steering Committee and the architectural profession represented by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA).
Impartiality and anonymity are important components to this competition and as such CityLab, as an independent consultancy, will be responsible for the objectivity and integrity of the process, to ensure that the interests of all participants are appropriately protected.
More specifically, the Competition Adviser is responsible for managing activities associated with competitor and jury processes including:
- assist in the preparation of the design brief and ensure that it comprehensively reflects the specific requirements of the project
- assist in the resolution of the competition process
- prepare and finalise the competition conditions
- secure AIA endorsement of the competition
- act as sole point of contact with potential and registered competitors throughout the competition and protect the anonymity of the submissions
- manage all correspondence with competitors, including the delivery of competition information, questions and answers, and receipt of entries
- in conjunction with the jury chair, perform the role of primary intermediary between the jury and the State’s project team
- prepare the jury reports at the end of stage 1 and stage 2
- assist in preparation of media releases relating to competitor and jury processes.
The Competition Adviser will work closely with the Probity Adviser, Anne Dalton & Associates and the Legal Adviser.
Mackenzie has worked in the architectural industry for 20 years both in Australia and England as an architectural curator, commentator, editor, publisher and design competition consultant.
During his nine year tenure as editor-in-chief of Architectural Review Australia, Mackenzie established a new ‘ideas’ competition programme called Proposition, working across government and commercial sectors to explore architectural opportunity within challenging sites in New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria.
Leaving magazine publishing in 2011 Andrew established CityLab to assist in the delivery of design competitions that are “both creatively ambitious and strategically effective”. Clients include Brisbane Airport Corporation, Waterfront Auckland and the Integrated Design Commission SA.
