Emporium Melbourne Takes Out Commercial Architecture Award

The Buchan Group's design for Emporium Melbourne has taken out the Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award in Commercial Architecture in this year’s Victorian Architecture Awards.

Attracting a high calibre of entrants, the Victorian chapter of the annual Australian Institute of Architecture Awards program celebrates excellence in design and recognises the innovative work of Victorian architects.

Managing Director Bruce Shaw said the award was testament to the unique and ambitious nature of the project and reinforces Buchan’s expertise in reimagining commercial and retail environments.

“We are incredibly proud to have received this award in recognition of our specialist knowledge and innovation in architecture and design,” Mr Shaw said.

“Our design for Emporium merges history with modern retail principles to deliver a truly memorable leisure experience to the Melbourne CBD.  Every nuance and aesthetic subtlety employed in the design contributes to the destinational quality of the Centre. It was a pleasure working with the team on this collaborative design journey that has resulted in such a striking and iconic development.”

Emporium forms the final link in the pedestrian chain of Australia’s most powerful CBD retail precinct, linking Myer, David Jones, Melbourne Central, The Strand Arcade and Melbourne’s GPO.  The design is characterised by an interconnected, vertical retail environment reflecting the character and shopping experience of Melbourne’s famous network of laneways.

The jury described the project as “mature, self-assured and elegant, with moments of joy found in the chocolate ripple ceiling and amenities.”

Winners were announced at the annual Awards Presentation Dinner on Friday 24 June.