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BERNINNEIT has won Victoria’s highest accolade in the public category of the Victorian Architecture Awards, announced last Friday night.
The new Cowes Cultural and Community Centre was the jury’s unanimous choice for what it described as “an extraordinarily well crafted and delightful place for gathering”.
The $32 million cultural centre is the most expensive project ever completed by Bass Coast Shire Council and had a decades-long genesis. After more than 30 years of discussion and many iterations, it finally opened last October with a month of community celebrations.
The new Cowes Cultural and Community Centre was the jury’s unanimous choice for what it described as “an extraordinarily well crafted and delightful place for gathering”.
The $32 million cultural centre is the most expensive project ever completed by Bass Coast Shire Council and had a decades-long genesis. After more than 30 years of discussion and many iterations, it finally opened last October with a month of community celebrations.
Liza Power, a spokeswoman for project architects Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, said the awards night was a very happy event. “We’re thrilled and humbled that Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre has won the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture.”
The jury’s citation described Berninneit as “a beautifully crafted evocation of its context and an inviting focus for arts and culture on Philip Island”.
“A dynamic spatial fluidity links an auditorium, multi-purpose spaces, library, gallery, museum, meeting rooms and council offices around retained mature eucalypts forming a community courtyard.
The jury’s citation described Berninneit as “a beautifully crafted evocation of its context and an inviting focus for arts and culture on Philip Island”.
“A dynamic spatial fluidity links an auditorium, multi-purpose spaces, library, gallery, museum, meeting rooms and council offices around retained mature eucalypts forming a community courtyard.
“The seemingly water-coloured washed brick clad form cleverly consolidates this broad brief into a singular, elemental composition, combining two storey, single storey and auditorium into an undulating interpretation of the region’s natural geology and topography.
A welcome for Berninneit
May 14, 2024 - Tim Shannon discovers no grand statement but a fitting portrait of the Phillip Island community.
May 14, 2024 - Tim Shannon discovers no grand statement but a fitting portrait of the Phillip Island community.
“Stepping through this outer shell reveals a tranquil and welcoming two-storey hospitality space rhythmically ordered by a laminated mountain ash colonnade and lined with spotted gum flooring and warm, blackbutt-faced walling.
“Sustainability is demonstrated through the low energy, low carbon, thermally efficient Passivhaus envelope which significantly reduces operational energy consumption. Sustainable materials are locally sourced including carbon-neutral bricks from Wollert and Gippsland grown hardwood, further reducing the carbon footprint.”
“Sustainability is demonstrated through the low energy, low carbon, thermally efficient Passivhaus envelope which significantly reduces operational energy consumption. Sustainable materials are locally sourced including carbon-neutral bricks from Wollert and Gippsland grown hardwood, further reducing the carbon footprint.”
The Berninneit Boogie: part of the community welcome last November. Photo: Terry Melvin
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Insulation inside, to 300mm thick and more, but isn’t Heat Island effect on outside, all these bricks to go with so much asphalt and concrete in COWES? Car park spaces all allocated to other buildings. Still no park-and-ride. Building is skinny shape of capital U, maximum walls for minimum internal floor space. 3,500 m2 for $35Million, so $10,000 per sq m, google quantity surveyors for public building advises 1,500 to $5,500 per sq m, almost looks like corruption here?
Is it a monument to something or should it recover some cost? If theatre is only revenue, amounts to $700,000 per week capital committed. If 100 seats filled, each seat needs to earn $7000 per week. Totally over Managerialised. Locals have been trying to get indoor swimming pool for more than 30 years but BCSC Managed final contender at $53Million. An refuse to even look at alternative 60% less.
Now new Vets museum given the nod at $48.6Million. Does this belong here? Vietnam just wanted independence from colonial masters France, like other colonies after WW2 but huge beat up into commie threat. Why does anybody want to perv on military killing machines in Newhaven?
And just in case anybody cares about congestion in COWES, proposed new Isle if Wight pub claims big enough to cater for as many as 2000 guests, needing employment bonanza 450 extra table staff. If arriving by car, average occupancy these days 1.15 people, with single lane road maximum 1200 cars per hour, at least 2 hours to arrive, same to depart, if no delay to find parking spot, just 197 under the building shared with other types of guest.
BCSC continues to pay experts big $ for plans but reserves the right to override report conclusions and still no car park plan, “priority 1- URGENT” in result plan from 2012. Where is it?
Berninneit introduces a new beginning for arts and culture in the region!