Summer Place pavilion receives commendation at 2022 NSW Architecture Awards

The 2021 instalment of the AlburyCity’s annual architecture pavilion, Summer Place, has picked up a commendation at the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Architecture Awards.

The Summer Place progam, which has been running for the last 3 years, is an experimental architecture project held in QEII Square, in the heart of Albury’s cultural precinct.

Summer Place aims to engage the community in new ways with this public space, as well as providing architects with the opportunity to experiment and be creative with urban design.

The 2021 pavilion titled 'See the Forest', and designed by locally based Akimbo Architecture and constructed by BRD Studio, was awarded a commendation in the Small Project Architecture category, and was shortlisted for the EmAGN Project Award.

Each category is judged by a jury of Institute members, and judging criteria include public and cultural benefits, program resolution, sustainability and cost/value outcome.

The ephemeral architecture aimed to bridge the divide between QEII Square in the centre of Albury and the river landscape which has brought people together for millennia.

The softly curved form enclosed a collection of large, locally harvested live edge timber slabs. The slabs were positioned vertically, maintaining their connection to the forest from which they came. The blackened timber board exterior was created from bushfire salvaged timber. The pavilion aimed to create discussions around the local environment, sustainability and the meaning of summer in the region.

Carly Martin, Director of Akimbo Architecture, was the first local architect invited to design the Summer Place Pavilion.

"We are very proud of having received a commendation in the Small Projects category at the NSW Australian Institute of Architects Awards. It speaks volumes to the quality of the Summer Place program that this is the third successful year in the architecture awards."

"We were thrilled to be the first local architect engaged for Summer Place, and it makes the award feel particularly poignant. While the building was only temporary, the ideas behind Summer Place continue to live on. We hope that it makes people question ideas of local architecture and how Albury relates to the surrounding river landscape."

Previous editions of Summer Place have also had significant success at the NSW Architecture Awards. The 2020 pavilion, designed by Sydney-based CHROFI Architects, picked up a commendation. Raffaelo Rosselli’s ‘Plastic Palace’ also won the Robert Woodward Award in the small projects category in 2021.

AlburyCity Mayor Kylie King said the program continues to be an important cultural experience in our city.

"Every year the Summer Place program creates an inspiring space for both the local community and visitors to enjoy."

"I'm thrilled to see the program getting recognition at a state level, showcasing our bright local talent and giving visitors another reason to visit our wonderful region," Mayor King said.

This year's Summer Place will launch in early December 2022, and is sure to create discussions around the local environment, sustainability and building waste.