Notable architecture studio BVN Donovan Hill has collaborated with Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF) on the Fugitive Structures programme that commences on Friday 22 March when Crescent House by Andrew Burns will be open to the public.
BVN Donovan Hill used their architectural expertise to bring together a unique coalition of builders, engineers, urban planners and landscape designers who together worked pro-bono with SCAF and Andrew Burns to bring the project to fruition.
Talking about why BVN Donovan Hill agreed to work pro-bono for Fugitive Structures Mr Bill Dowzer, State Director, said, ‘A primary thing for us as a practice is the stimulation of debate and discussion around architecture in the lay community’.
He noted the importance of promotion of architecture in the mainstream community, and cited as an example ‘when working on a school we engage the students with the process, not to make them architects, but to give them the experience to gain a greater understanding of what the opportunity is for buildings and space.’
Supporting an endeavour like Fugitive Structures fits these aims perfectly. It also introduces an element of cross cultural activity, the experience of Gene Sherman in staging and promoting art exhibitions seemed an ideal fit with our expertise in delivering complex building projects,’ said Mr Dowzer.
Fugitive Structures is an annual invitation-only competition aimed at emerging and mid career architects who are asked to design a small-scale temporary pavilion in an urban setting. The structures are built in SCAF’s Zen Garden in Sydney. The Fugitive Structures’ concept references London’s Serpentine Gallery’s highly successful Architectural Pavilion series where, to date, 13 sponsored projects have drawn millions of British and international visitors to Kensington Gardens in the Northern summer.
Dr Gene Sherman AM, Executive Director of SCAF said, “ Fugitive Structures refers to a new creative endeavour fashioned around the work of architects from Australia, the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East and will deliver an original, modestly scaled and compelling space in the centre of our busy city.
Photograph by Brett Boardman
Work has started on a master-plan for the health precinct of Christchurch following the appointment of BVN Donovan Hill by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA).
BVN Donovan Hill bring the highest level of skills to this master-plan, last year winning a record four National Architecture Awards in Australia with projects across a wide spectrum of building types including the Monash Student Housing complex, the Taronga Zoo Entry Precinct, Ravenswood School Library and Resource Hub and the Narbethong Community Hall.
With the energy created by an intense programme and our ongoing collaboration with sub-consultant’s Jasmax and their strong local knowledge there is the potential to produce an innovative place that will serve Christchurch into the future.
According to Ms Abbie Galvin, Principal, BVN Donovan Hill, ‘Working on a beautiful site, presents an opportunity to not only make a new precinct in Christchurch, but to make a worthwhile contribution to the rebuilding of a community.'
Ms Galvin pointed out that, ‘Considerations will go beyond the civic scale to include how design decisions can have a positive effect on how people relate and interact in this type of environment.'
'Eventually this area will become a world leading health and research neighbourhood containing health and hospital buildings, research facilities and university and education buildings.'
'We anticipate that this precinct will become a vital gateway into the city centre that will be designed to engage with the city’s commercial heart as well as the park and surrounding areas,’ said Ms Galvin.
BVN Donovan Hill won four architecture awards at the 2012 National Architecture Awards hosted by the Australian Institute of Architects.
The four award wins are as follows:
Frederick Romberg Award - Monash University Student Housing
Public Building - Narbethong Community Hall
Public Building - Ravenswood School for Girls, Mabel Fidler Building
Urban Design - Taronga Zoo Upper Entry Precinct
The Monash University Student Housing, on the Clayton campus of Monash University won the Multi-Residential Interior Design Award and high commendations were awarded to Narbethong Community Hall, in the public space category and AECOM Sydney in the Workplace Over 1000sqm category.
Please click on each of the following categories to see videos of the judges reflecting on the winners: Monash Student Housing Multi-Residential winner |Narbethong Public Space high commendation | AECOM Sydney Workplace Over 1000sqm high commendation
Whilst in the most highly competitive category public building, BVN was the only practice to be given two awards, one was for the Narbethong Community Hall that was designed pro-bono and rebuilt following the disastrous 2009 bushfires and which the jury noted referenced the historic ‘timber town’ with an interior that ‘is defined by large floor-to ceiling vertical timber blades that carve intimate spaces in the hall.’ The other award was for the Ravenswood Girls School Mabel Fidler Building that houses a Library and Resource Hub and which the jury found to be ‘a transformational building that provides insight into the twenty-first century school.’
In the urban design category the Taronga Zoo upper entry precinct was given an award for creating a ‘cohesive journey into the grounds of Taronga Zoo’ and is successful through separating the cars and buses from the people and ‘through the generosity of the landscaping and the inclusion of public terrain within the Zoo,’ said the jury. ‘All these projects are the result of highly inclusive and collaborative work between client and the architect throughout the design and delivery process,’ said Mr James Grose, National Director, BVN Donovan Hill.
BVN Donovan Hill now head the list of Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Award winners list with a total of 25 awards received since the Awards started in 1981.
