Plaudits flow for Barwon Water office design

Barwon Water’s head office in Geelong has been short-listed for a national architecture award.

The reworking of the 1960s and 1970s era brutalist buildings into an open and efficient contemporary work environment was among the projects across the nation in the running for the commercial architecture prize at the Australian Institute of Architects’ National Architecture Awards.

Architects GHDWoodhead tailored the 5-star Green Star rated building, which connected the original wings of the Ryrie St headquarters with a central atrium space, feature stair and skylight cluster.

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The atrium and staircase is central to the design, which reworks two original brutalist buildings. Pictures: Trevor Mein.

The new headquarters has also created a new public space that connects Ryrie St with the cultural precinct on Lt Malop St.

The architects had already won the Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture and sustainable architecture award in this year’s Victorian Architecture Awards, primarily for the decision to reuse the existing structures to house the water authority’s entire office-based team on one site.

A new tower protruding from the west of the building adds additional office space and frames a new public area connecting to the cultural precinct. Pictures: Trevor Mein.

The winners will be announced in Melbourne on November 1.

This article from the Geelong Advertiser originally appeared as “Barwon Water headquarters shortlisted for National Architecture Awards”.