Community centre crowned winner at 2023 Dulux Colour Awards

A council-run community centre in Preston in Melbourne's north has been named the Australian Grand Prix winner in the Dulux Colour Awards, while a theatre restoration project in Wellington has taken out the top New Zealand prize.

Darebin Intercultural Centre, designed by Sibling Architecture, pushes boundaries with its bold use of colour within an 1895 building. The jury said the project was an immediate stand out for its ambitious brief and contribution to its locale, with the colour contributing to a welcoming space for a diverse community.

"The deliberate avoidance of any recognizable cultural representation placed greater importance on the form and material palette, and we applaud the strong tie to the brief, achieved through the push and pull of colour and texture," the judges said.

"Although the use of colour to define spaces is a tangible device, in this project, colour is also highly emotive, encouraging interaction and inclusion. The idea is brilliant, and the delivery is impressive, with contrasting colours representing the diverse community, balanced to achieve a cohesive, restrained result."

The Grand Prix New Zealand winner is St James Theatre, by Shand Shelton, which recognized the restoration of what has been Wellington's premier lyric theatre for 100 years. "The revitalization of the St James Theatre in Wellington is a celebration of craftsmanship and a gift to the community," the judges said.

"The significance of the undertaking was potentially daunting and there were undoubtedly 'safer' strategies, but the architects have embraced the challenge, specifying a complex palette, inspired by early drawings of the heritage-listed building.

Prioritizing an investment in artisans to execute the intricate colour scheme has paid off, for this attention to detail has achieved optimal authenticity and light balance for theatre conditions."

The winners were selected from 113 finalists across Australia and New Zealand. "Across the board, the high calibre of projects is to be celebrated for they represent a mastery in colour usage, which can only serve to improve our built environment, and ultimately our collective and individual experience of it," said the judges.

Darebin Intercultural Centre - Sibling Architecture

St James Theatre - Shand Shelton

Nightlight - Fabric

Alma Road Residence - Studiofour

Studio Elroy - Lintel Studio for Architecture

Mount Mac - Williams Burton Leopardi

Postal Hall - Trower Falvo Architects with Alessio Fini

Insight Body and Mind - Biasol Studio

Darebin Intercultural Centre - Sibling Architecture

S'wich Bondi - Studio Shandi

St James Theatre - Shand Shelton

PHIVE Community, Cultural and Civic Hub - Designinc

Hues of Mount Kunanyi - Ruby Shields, RMIT University

The Canopy Bench - Augustina Binyamin, Victoria University