Iconic building recognised

A PRESTIGIOUS architecture excellence award for the Geelong Arts Centre has propelled the city into the international spotlight alongside Vienna, London, Camerino and Beijing.

The stunning Ryrie Street redevelopment, designed by HASSELL, has won the 2021 International Architecture Award in the museums and cultural buildings category.

The awards recognise the world’s best new buildings and urban planning projects across more than 35 nations and are organised annually by the Chicago Athenaeum International Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Other winners in the museums and cultural buildings category this year include the Future Art Lab Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts in Austria, English National Ballet centre, London, and Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, Beijing, and the Music Academy of Camerino, Italy.

Geelong Arts Centre chief executive officer and creative director Joel McGuinness said he was “incredibly proud to receive this award and the recognition it brings to our clever and creative city”.

“The Geelong Arts Centre Ryrie Street Redevelopment is a stunning architectural addition to the city and so much more,” Mr McGuinness said.

“It’s been designed to be used and enjoyed by the local community, from new dance studios, performance and rehearsal spaces to a creative co-working space and new foyers and bars to enhance the visitor experience.”

Geelong Arts Centre’s Ryrie Street Redevelopment opened in November 2019​ and the significant construction project created hundreds of local jobs for the region​.

The international award-winning centre includes new foyers, bar space, four purpose-built rehearsal and performance studios.

The region’s cultural performance centre piece is also home to Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine ​Co-working hub and artist pathways initiative.

The next stage of the centre’s redevelopment is well underway and progressing well in Little Malop Street.