Jury citation
This building rethinks the cornerstone of society that is the law court. Externally, it is simultaneously welcoming and formidable. Internally, it delicately balances the seriousness of its purpose with a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Views to Bendigo permeate through the public areas and natural light floods into the circulation areas and court rooms alike, bringing dignity to spaces that are commonly heavy and intimidating. These connections to landscape, alongside a connection to Country, are embedded in all parts of the project and were clearly integral to the design process. Local artwork, materials and craft deepen the building’s links to site visually and through the stories told. It’s an exemplar judicial building that could only be in Bendigo.
Bendigo Law Courts is located in Bendigo, Victoria on Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
Project credits
Architect: Wardle; Project team: John Wardle, Meaghan Dwyer, Kah-Fai Lee, Megan Darbyshire, William Rogers, James Loder, Sharon Crabb, David Churcher, Barry Hayes, Allan Burrows, Jeff Arnold, Ariani Anwar, Patrick Bullen, Michael McMahon, Alan Ting, Kristina Levenko, Stefan Mee, Adam Kolsrud, Stuart Mann, Nicola Bowman, Stephanie Pahnis, Maya Borjesson, Anna Caish; Builder: Kane Nicholson Joint Venture (KNJV); Structural and civil engineer, traffic and pedestrian modelling: WSP; Services consultant: Introba; Landscape consultant: Aspect Studios; Acoustic consultant: Marshall Day Acoustics; Heritage consultant: RBA Architects and Conservation Consultants; Planning: Urbis; Facade: Meinhardt Bonacci; Access consultant: Morris Goding Access Consulting (MGAC); Wayfinding: Buro North; Archaeological and Indigenous consultant: Andrew Long and Associates; Building surveyor: PLP; Peer review: Bower Architects; Threat analysis: Arup.
