Setting new world benchmarks as the first convention centre to be awarded the highest ‘6 Star Green Star’ environmental rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. The Melbourne Exhibition Centre is the greenest convention center in the world.
Design Team: NH Architecture
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Status: Completion 2009
Cost: $350m
NH Architecture, in joint venture with Woods Bagot, aimed to create a public building that belongs to Melbourne, rather than the typical convention centre stereotype that looks like a modified sports stadium.
The triangular design of the new Melbourne Convention Centre gives the cityscape a new feature on the banks of the Yarra River. The distinctive 18 metre high glass façade gives passers-by a glimpse to activity within the centre and creates a foyer full of natural light, as well as offering views out across the Yarra River to the city beyond.
The team has also met the challenge of integrating the new Centre with the existingExhibition Centre, while attempting to create a building with its own distinct identity. The two buildings are linked via an enclosed glass walkway, becoming the largestexhibition and convention facility in the southern hemisphere. The roof is a vast, seamless expanse and its exciting geometry makes for spectacular angles and sweeping planes from any vantage point. The total area of the roof is 20,000m2 , each side being 200m long. The design also exceeds the Government’s brief for a 5,000-seat divisible plenary hall. The Gala seating offers maximum flexibility allowing 2 or 3 events to take place concurrently with spaces set up in differing configurations. “It was a complex problem,” says Hamish Lyon of NH Architecture. “We traveled the world and saw 5,000 seat halls and divisible halls but none that combined the two.” Ultimately, the team has created an innovative and successful design solution which includes a deluxe hotel with restaurants and cafes; a banquet hall for up to 1,500 diners with a spacious pre-dinner cocktail balcony; 32 meeting rooms, and a ground foyer able to cater for 8,400 guests.
The team has also met the challenge of integrating the new Centre with the existingExhibition Centre, while attempting to create a building with its own distinct identity. The two buildings are linked via an enclosed glass walkway, becoming the largestexhibition and convention facility in the southern hemisphere. The roof is a vast, seamless expanse and its exciting geometry makes for spectacular angles and sweeping planes from any vantage point. The total area of the roof is 20,000m2 , each side being 200m long. The design also exceeds the Government’s brief for a 5,000-seat divisible plenary hall. The Gala seating offers maximum flexibility allowing 2 or 3 events to take place concurrently with spaces set up in differing configurations. “It was a complex problem,” says Hamish Lyon of NH Architecture. “We traveled the world and saw 5,000 seat halls and divisible halls but none that combined the two.” Ultimately, the team has created an innovative and successful design solution which includes a deluxe hotel with restaurants and cafes; a banquet hall for up to 1,500 diners with a spacious pre-dinner cocktail balcony; 32 meeting rooms, and a ground foyer able to cater for 8,400 guests.
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