Celebrating award-winning projects

OFTEN the reward for a job well done is simply knowing that you have finished it to the best of your ability.

In today’s hustle and bustle world, it is rare for individuals to get praise from employers or leaders for achievements that go above and beyond the ordinary.

For organisations, this can be similar.

However, two projects completed by the City of Greater Geelong along the Bellarine continue to gain industry recognition, which is something all of us should be proud of.

The Dell Eco Reef project at Clifton Springs has already won multiple awards, including the 2023 international Dezeen Award for Sustainable Design (Building Product) of the Year.

Designed by The Reef Design Lab’s Alex Goad in collaboration with the City’s Senior Strategic Environmental Planner, Ralph Roob, the innovative reef helps to reduce coastal erosion while also creating a habitat for marine life.

This amazing state-of-the-art work has now also taken out the top prize at the Victorian LGPro Awards for Excellence in the “Special Projects Initiative” category.

The project and the numerous awards it has received help to build on Geelong’s reputation as an international UNESCO Creative City of Design and reinforces our efforts in working towards our goals around environmental sustainability.

And, in addition to creating what is a very real environmental benefit, the 46 Erosion Mitigation Units – which are made of eco-friendly concrete and recycled shells – are also proving to be a major tourism drawcard for recreational snorkelers and swimmers.

Not too far from the Dell Eco Reef stands the $9.15 million Boronggook Drysdale Library, which has been shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2024 Victorian Architecture Awards.

The building is the first of its kind in Greater Geelong, with its innovative circular design, planted roofscape and amphitheatre.

Funded by Council ($8.156 million) and the Victorian government ($1 million), it was designed by Antarctica in collaboration with Architecture Associates, and was selected from more than 200 submissions for both the Regional Prize and the Public Architecture award.

Since its construction birds, bees and butterflies have found habitat on the rooftop among the 4,300 plants, which boast among them 18 various native species.

The design of the Boronggook Drysdale Library evolved through multiple conversations and extensive engagement with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, local residents, key community stakeholders and the broader community.

It is this collaborative approach that fills me with pride when thinking about the library.

Libraries inspire our next generation to become the leaders of tomorrow, and we need those leaders to continue the path of engagement with the people who utilise the facilities we design and build.

So to see the Boronggook Drysdale Library shortlisted for an award, on the back of the Dell Eco Reef winning another award, is actually reward for all of us.

Those who helped shape the design of these spaces and those who now use them upon their completion deserve to share in the success they are enjoying.

As a resident of the Bellarine I encourage you all to take pride in knowing that our part of the world is contributing to the region’s ongoing endeavours to be recognised as clever and creative.

Cr Elise Wilkinson

Bellarine Ward,

City of Greater Geelong