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To celebrate and acknowledge the diversity, spirit and experience of the ArchiTeam members - the first ArchiTeam Awards have been created to encourage small practice architects to prepare, submit and exhibit their work in a professional environment and to exemplify Melbourne's reputation as a leading design centre.

The inaugural Architeam awards took place on October 13th at Docklands, followed by an exhibition of the entries at Gallery New Quay.

• 
• Winner: The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective
• Title: Sherbrooke Gazebo
• 

  The site for the Sherbrooke Gazebo is a steeply sloping block in the Dandenong Ranges 300m long by 40m wide. The gazebo site was initially intended as the end point to the formal garden where the mountain ash forest was to take over further down the block.

  One of the owner's upbringing was at the edge of the Black forest in Southern Germany. Traditionally fronting the fields at the edges of the forest are Hunter's Highsits from which the municipal hunter would shoot wild pigs intent on destroying farmer's crops. These buildings provide an elevated view at the border between the cultivated and wild environments. The interest in these structures is their individuality and lightweight construction that relies on an existing tree or lots of cross bracing.

  The Sherbrooke Gazebo is a siting inversion of the Hunter's Highsits. The composition attempts to mash together the improvised hunter's highsits with the client's desire for a more traditional garden house.

  To this end the plan is octagonal, with the addition of a couple of lumps. The roof forms provide an almost symmetrical end to the gardens visual axis down the block.

  The steepness of the block forces the garden paths and access track to zigzag across the block. This shifting of the viewer across the visual axis of the block (down the hill) is played off against the gazebo's symmetry on the E-W axis, implied symmetry along the visual axis and asymmetry generated from a largely symmetrical plan.

  The gazebo stands on 4 red ironbark columns which support 2 main floor beams in turn supporting twin cypress bearers at the 4 points of the octagon. The bearers are spaced to pick up 70x70 grey ironbark balustrade posts and 70x70 awning roof posts. To achieve a post free space, the roof has an unsupported ridge that required a steel plate; to conceal this plate (which expanded in length 400% during construction) the cypress rafters have been milled to 190x30 and paired. The inside is lined in cypress pine for that woody feel.

  Project Team: The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective
  Builder: Luis Blochlinger
  Carpenter: Fritz Ramsauer
  Structural Engineer: Design Action
  Building Surveyor: Anthony Middling and Associates
  Photographer: Erica Lauthier
  

  

• 
• Winner: John Henry Architects
• Title: Research House
• 

  John Henry Architects
  P 9437 2030
  Builder: Owner
  Structural Engineer: Taylor Thompson Whitting
  

  

• 
• Winner: Grant Amon Architects
• Title: Gasworks Art Park
• 

  Gasworks Art Park
  Series of renovations & additions to existing heritage & industrial buildings (Old South Melbourne Gas Works) for community use. Involves administration offices, galleries, café, courtyard, theatre and foyer. Masterplan & landscape with TBLD landscape. Grant Amon Architects
  St Kilda P 9593 9944
  Project Team:
  Grant Amon, Grant Dixon, Christian Glyde and Theodora Kioussis. Builder:
  May Constructions,
  Anderson Constructions
  and Update Property Maintenance. Structural Engineer:
  Fellicetti P/L
  Services Engineer:
  MAC Consultants
  Quantity Surveyor:
  Slattery Consultants
  Landscape: TBLD

  
• Commendation: The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective with Peter Ho
• Title: Condo Box Unit in Ocean Grove
• 

  Although a slightly strange sight, this boxy unit is a study of contextual elements: looking at materials, planning and the inclusion of local found objects.

  The materials were selected from the surrounding palette, assessed for their aesthetic compatibility with notions of sea-side and their ease of maintenance. Subtle play occurs between the white stone, light cladding and shadows that move across the distorted box form.

  Project Team: The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective and Peter Ho
  Builder: Owner
  Structural Engineer: Owner
  Photo: Erica Lauthier
  

  
• Commendation: OOF! Architecture
• Title: Gray House Elwood
• 

  2 Townhouses, Elwood
  The Gray House is a 21st century rumination on a sense of ‘house-ness’ that was so beautifully epitomised by the 1920s Arts + Crafts houses of Elwood. These houses do not just have roofs, they have spectacularly huge and heavy roof ‘mountains’ - carrying with them rich associations of warmth, protection, private retreat and a quintessential ‘house-ness’ that we still find inspiring.

  Fooi-Ling Khoo,
  OOF! Architecture,
  St Kilda
  0415 497 815
  Documentation: TMP Drafting
  Owner / Builder: James Gray
  Structural Engineer:
  Meyer Consulting
  Building Surveyer:
  Anthony Middling & Associates
  Local Authority:
  City of Port Phillip
  Photographer:
  Fooi-Ling Khoo
  

  

• 
• Winner: The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective
• Title: The Suburban Detail of the Month Competition
• 

  The Suburban Detail of the Month Competition was held over 10 months in 2004. Entrants were invited to take photos of domestic oddities, suburban ugliness and bucolic delights. These photos were displayed each month on the walls of the Old Colonial Inn. Everyone who attended, including the punters at the pub to play pool, were given 2 dots with which to vote. At the end of the evening, the suburban detail with the most dots won (a jug). The entrant who accumulated the most dots over the year won 2 nights for 2 at the Oakley Motel. Finally twelve images were selected to feature in a limited run, perpetual calendar.

  The Rexroth Mannasmann Collective
  Fitzroy
  P 9419 0622
  
  

  

• Ancient Modes award for best use of timber: Bunbury O’Brien Architects
• Title:Lower Plenty project
• 

  Lower Plenty This was a substantial makeover to a very average 1980s brick veneer house – literally a screening. The original house had many problems which included poor orientation, all the back of the house functions facing the street, nobody could find the front door and small, dark rooms lined with brown exposed brick and timber ceilings. The solution was to add extensions to either end of the building with a decorative timber screen along the public side of the house to conceal everything in between. A new entry is visible from the street and we opened the living spaces up an1 created large windows opening out to decks and the view.

  Bunbury O’Brien Architects
  Fitzroy P 9419 0805
  Project Team: Ande Bunbury, David O’Brien and Chinh Mai
  Builder: KW Mitchell Nominees
  Structural Engineer: TB Gallagher
  Landscape: Indigenous Design
  Photographer: Erica Lauthier
  

  
• Porters paints award for best use of colour: Catalyst Architecture in association with Bernard Hennessy Architect
• Title:Amici Bakery Cafe
• 

  Conversion of vacant un-serviced retail space in a heritage retail precinct into a bakery café seating 80 patrons and catering for major retail sales.

  Catalyst Architecture in association with Bernard Hennessy Architect
  Richmond P 9428 6352
  Project Team: John Davidson, Bernard Hennessy and Hugo Davidson
  Builder: Interlink Building Services
  Structural Engineer: Keith Long and Associates
  Services Engineer: Elms Consultants
  Theme, Graphics and Furniture: Catalyst Design Group
  

  

Questions? email architeam admin

Acknowledgements to the Awards Committee: Kirsty Fletcher, Mary-Ann Jackson, Fooi-Ling Khoo, Lucy Tibbits; Judges: Philip Goad, Fiona Nixon; Architeam crew: Mary-Ann Woff, Laurence Robinson, Helen Keelings, Melissa Weaver; Publicity: Nicola Archer Communications; Graphic Design: OOF! Design; Lighting Design: Inlite; Web Design: Antarctica Group; Artist: Mark Schaller; Glass maker: Miles Johnson; Banner: GBC Australia; Catering: Lucy's Kitchen; Sponsors: Ellikon Fine Printers, Ancient Modes, and Porters Original Paints.