Mulgrave Gallery wins Eddie Oribin Award for Building of the Year
The Mulgrave Gallery in Cairns – formerly the Mulgrave Shire Council Chambers – has won the Eddie Oribin Award for Building of the Year at the Far North Queensland Australian Institute of Architects Awards, celebrating the incredible adaptive reuse of the 1912 building.
This prestigious award is the highest honour, named after renowned Cairns-based architect Eddie Oribin who designed many of Far North Queensland’s most prominent heritage-listed buildings.
AHS oversaw the heritage management for the project alongside TPG Architects; who reimagined the State heritage-listed building as a centrepiece of the bustling Cairns Esplanade.
We provided countless hours of heritage advice and management from conception right through to construction and completion, including the development of a Conservation Management Plan, Heritage Impact Statement, microscopic paint analysis, work methods advice, and more.
The Mulgrave Gallery forms part of a wider $24.3 million project centred around the refurbishment of the former Mulgrave Shire Council offices, and is the latest addition to the Cairns Gallery Precinct that aims to progress the city’s goal of becoming the arts and culture capital of northern Australia.
“We have worked with the Cairns Regional Council for many years, so we are really excited and proud to see the new gallery awarded Building of the Year in the Far North Queensland Australian Institute of Architects Awards,” said AHS Director, Ben Gall.
“Importantly, the project highlights best-practice adaptive reuse for historically significant buildings within the Cairns region, taking the rich heritage of this site into the future with a modern use.”
The judges praised the Mulgrave Gallery for strengthening Cairns’ rich built history and enhancing the region’s cultural heritage. The project also received a commendation in the Heritage category and was shortlisted in the Sustainable Architecture category.
The new gallery features more than 255 square metres of exhibition space, including a large display area, two smaller rooms and two original vault rooms being used as mini galleries, providing a total of five unique exhibition spaces.
“We had to remove elements of little heritage significance in order to reveal the original verandah structure. Removing one of the larger 1960 annexes allowed us to create a public plaza connecting to the Courthouse Gallery” said TPG Architects Director, Roger Mainwood, when discussing the project.
The AHS team are your trusted partners in all areas of adaptive reuse and heritage conversation, having been involved in countless high-profile projects around the country. With so many historic buildings ready for adaption and reuse, reach out to AHS to chat about taking your site into the future.
