‘A great deal of fun’: Geelong Arts Centre honoured with two architecture awards

GEELONG Arts Centre has taken home two architecture awards for the third stage of its redevelopment, which reimagines the idea of a traditional theatre as an open, transparent and inviting experience for all.

The building, designed by ARM Architecture, was awarded the Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture, the award category’s top honour, along with a Public Architecture Award at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2024 Victorian Architecture Awards last Friday (June 7).

Established in 1929, the Victorian Architecture Awards recognise innovation, best practice in the field and those who strive to positively shape communities through architecture.

Work concluded on the $150 million final stage of the art centre’s revitalisation in August last year, adding the Story House, a 550-seat multifunctional theatre, and the Open House, a warehouse-style performance space, along with a café and array of support spaces to the precinct.

Elements drawn from Geelong’s history, the traditions of circus and theatre and First Nations culture and connection to Country are referenced in the centre’s design and inside, ARM Architects collaborated closely with First Nations artists to evoke different Wadawurrung creation narratives across each of the building’s four levels.

The interior architecture category’s jury celebrated the arts centre’s “playful” interior design which shreds pretention with “its street transparency, tight bombastic thresholds and a literal sense of entering behind the curtain”.

“Colour saturated, highly technical, state-of-the-art multifunctional theatre spaces underscore attention to function and detail which feel effortless and joyful,” the jury said.

Meanwhile, it was the centre’s “empathetic and human-focused architecture filled with collaborative voices” that caught the attention of the public architecture category’s jury.

The panel labelled the juxtaposition of Geelong Arts Centre’s “rippling, sculptural façade” against neighbouring buildings an “arresting visual and spatial experience” and celebrated the building’s “theatrical concrete draping” as an invitation inside that is “democratic, fun and without judgement”.

Geelong Arts Centre celebrated the recognition.

“Geelong Arts Centre represents not just a building, but a bold, cultural asset deeply rooted in the heart of Geelong and Victoria,” a spokesperson for Geelong Arts Centre said.

“It’s a place that connects communities, transcends boundaries, and reaches far beyond our city’s limits.

“This new centre isn’t your typical black box theatre. It is designed to be accessible and inclusive, fostering an environment where creativity thrives, and cultural expressions are celebrated as core to life.

“We’ve loved the collaboration with ARM Architecture, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and the First Nations community in the G21 region.”