2022 National Award for Public Architecture

Jury citation

A symbolic place of gathering and celebration, the Victorian Pride Centre screams “St Kilda.” In this long overdue investment for an enduring sector, the architecture does not hold back. It is fun, provocative and celebrates the LGBTIQ+ community, while inviting in the neighbourhood as part of an educational experience to reduce prejudice.

Its expressionist design concept promotes and attracts, making no apologies for its liberated spirit. This is a hardworking building that is still deciphering what it wants or needs to be – and that is its intrigue. The centre will continue to evolve as its community demands; its free spirit is captured in the building’s program.

The Pride Centre evolves subliminally: through the light-filled atrium, which changes in response to day and night, over its multiple street frontages and in its generous opening on to St Kilda Road. In so many regards, this is an experiential, evolving building that writes its own story. The architects are to be congratulated for enabling this unrestrained freedom within its St Kilda context.

— Victorian Pride Centre was reviewed by Timothy Moore and Nicholas Braun in Architecture Australia January/February 2022. Read the review here.

Project credits

Architect Brearley Architects and Urbanists, and Grant Amon Architects; Project team James Brearley, Steve Whitford, Jens Eberhardt, Fonarri Chen, Charles Hu, Prague Unger, Adrian Coleiro, Manny Houdek, Tammi Li, Grant Amon, Stephen Herbst, Estelle Peters, Karen McMull, Tony Trajkoski, Yiyang Xu, Bruno Rabl, Junbo Qu, Roberta Caione, Millicent Baddeley; Builder Hansen Yuncken; Planner SJB Planning; Project manager Case Meallin, Bates and Co; Quantity surveyor Slattery; Structural, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, facade, traffic and fire engineer WSP; Acoustic consultant Resonate Consultants; ESD Hip v. Hype; Building surveyor Checkpoint Building Surveyors; Landscape architect Thompson Berrill Landscape Design, Brearley Architects and Urbanists; Lighting Schuler Shook; Other consultants Felicetti Consulting Engineers

Victorian Pride Centre is located in St Kilda, Victoria on the land of the Boon Wurrung people

of the Kulin nation.