The Victorian Architecture Medal is the highest honour awarded annually by the Victoria Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) and has been awarded 38 consecutive times since 1987. The Medal was originally known as the ‘Street Architecture Medal’ introduced by the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects (RVIA) in 1929 as an award for the design of a building of exceptional merit. Buildings were judged on their "urban propriety and architectural etiquette; the building had to front a street, road, square or court" and with a requirement of being publicly accessible, thereby excluding residential and private commissions.
Background Definition The Victorian Architecture Medal is awarded as part of the Victorian Architecture Awards and selected from the AIA Victoria Chapter 'named award' winners, from all direct entry categories and can also be drawn from the winners of the Sustainable Architecture Award, Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, Melbourne Prize or Regional Prize. The winner of the Medal is judged to be the most outstanding project of the year, by definition making it 'a building, place or structure of exceptional merit', often winning multiple prizes across different award categories.
Medal A cast circular bronze medal is awarded to the winner and usually affixed on the winning project in a prominent position.
Public vs residential awards The medal winner usually has a strong civic and public character with architectural qualities that contribute to the greater public realm of the city or environment. Two exceptions were the awarding of the Medal to John Wardle Architecture for a private residence, Balnarring Beach House in 1997 and to Wood Marsh for the Yve Apartments on St Kilda Road in 2006.
Changes to the concept of 'public architecture' as the basis for the judging of the award occurred after World War II. The first post war Medal was awarded in 1954 to Roy Grounds House for a residential house and four apartments in Toorak. This was followed ten years later with the private and remote Grimwade House by McGlashan Everist who were awarded the second Medal in 1963. On only six occasions it has been awarded to projects located outside metropolitan Melbourne (1940, 1963, 1987, 1997, 2022 and 2024).
Since 1996 the annual William Wardell Award for Public Architecture has specifically recognised institutional and public buildings. The Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize established in 1997 has become another significant award that addresses the civic and public realm contributions of architecture to the city, but does not focus solely on the experience of the 'street'.
Street Architecture Medal (1929–1942)
RIBA influence The Royal Victorian Institute of Architect's (RVIA) 'Street Architecture Medal' is considered the predecessor and equivalent of the current Victorian Architecture Medal. It was first awarded in 1929 and consecutively 14 times until 1942. The Street Architecture Award was a concept imported from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) that had established an award with the same name in 1923, an idea which had been around since before World War I. The award was created to encourage design excellence in architecture and increase public interest in the 'street architecture' of London. The first award for best public building in London was made to W. Curtis Green for Wolseley House at 157–160 Piccadilly.
First Medal 1929 The 'Extracts from the Examining Jury's Report' of the first Victorian award by chair P.A. Oakley and jury were reported in the Journal of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects in July 1929."As architects, we feel deeply the proud responsibility enjoyed by members of our profession as sponsors of the city buildings which form possibly the most important visible expression of a city’s individuality and attractions." The jury could recognise any building built within the past five years, with the objectives of the award listed as twofold —"Firstly, that buildings which notably contribute to the civic beauty and architecture of the cities of this State should be publicly singled out and acknowledged, in order that universal appreciation of their good qualities and emulation of their characteristics may be encouraged, and that through this means a widespread sense of civic responsibility may be developed and fostered in the architects and citizens of our State..." and secondly that "...due recognition by his fellow practitioners and fellow citizens may be made of the high achievement of the architect responsible for a building deemed worthy of this award...".
It was also noted that a competition was to be held for the design of the bronze plaque to be attached to the winning building, open to RVIA Members and students. In July 1930 it was announced that the design competition for the Street Architecture 'plaque' was won by Mr. J.C. Barton and Mr. H.J. Tribe. The approximately 270mm (10 inch) bas–relief circular bronze medal features the winged horse of Pegasus, rising above stylised clouds.
The first medal was presented to Francis House at 107 Collins Street in Melbourne, a narrow fronted five storey office building with a ground level shopfront, designed by architects and cousins Blackett and Forster. William Blackett was the then president of the RVIA in his second term (1928–1930). The building still stands in near original condition. It was built in 1927–1928 for the established pharmacists and chemists, Henry Francis & Co. It was notable for its bronze shopfront details and beige and orange retractable awning, inspired by the shopping streets of Paris and New York, greatly contributing to the characterisation of the area as the 'Paris End' of Collins Street.
1937 Medal In 1936 the president of the RVIA described the purpose of the award was to "encourage excellence of design and public interest in street architecture, the Institute having decided to examine annually buildings completed during the previous three years and to award a medal for a building of exceptional merit". Describing the 1937 medal winning project the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Building on Spring Street in East Melbourne by Leighton Irwin and Roy K. Stevenson "The Jury considers that this is an unusual example of street architecture as it actually faces streets on all four elevations and presents a very interesting treatment of the various facades."
1938 Medal A jury of eleven men judged the 1938 Award, consisting of Mr. Leslie M. Perrott, vice-president of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects; Mr. Percy Everett, Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works, Mr. J.S. MacDonald, Director of the National Gallery (NGV); Mr. W.R. Dean, the Art Inspector, Education Department, State of Victoria and seven architects appointed by the Institute Council; G.R. King, Marcus W. Martin, Charles E. Serpell, A.C. Collins, E. Keith Mackay, Edward F. Billson and John F.D. Scarborough. For the first time a building outside the City of Melbourne won the award for the Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Cookson Street, Camberwell, by Bates Smart McCutcheon, their third medal in 10 years. The jury commentary of the building stated that "restraint rather than decoration tends to characterise accepted standards of good architecture to-day and this building reveals a particularly happy balance between these two considerations. It represents a satisfactory solution to the architectural problem of a modern church without resort to traditional ecclesiastical motifs."
Other Street Architecture Awards and Medals in Australia In the 1930s the Royal Institute of British Architects began awarding Street Architecture Awards and Bronze Medals to international projects, including Hackett Memorial Buildings at University of Western Australia which was awarded a RIBA Bronze Medal in 1931. Later Perth Girls' School in Western Australia was awarded a RIBA Bronze Medal in 1939, for the period 1936–1938. British Medical Association (BMA) House at 137 Macquarie Street, Sydney, by architects Fowell and McConnel was presented the RIBA Street Architecture Medal in 1935 for buildings completed in the five years to end of 1933. This was the first time the award had been presented in New South Wales. The RIBA provided the architects with a bronze medal to be affixed to the building and a signed diploma. It was planned at the time for an award to be presented every three years to a new building in New South Wales.
Post World War II changes and a new Award A long pause caused by World War II and a slow return to a regular annual architecture awards in Victoria saw none given until awards recommenced in 1954 with an awards held on the evening of Tuesday 7 December at which time the Street Architecture Medal was replaced and renamed as the 'Victorian Architecture Medal' for the first time.
Although awards recommenced in 1954, for the reminder of the 1950s, the 1960s and the 1970s, medals were infrequently awarded. It was not until 1987 that the Victorian Architecture Medal was awarded consistently and has been given annually until present as part of the Victorian Chapter Awards program.
Victorian Architecture Medal winners (since 1987)
Modern Era Medal Winners by Year Year Winner Project Location Other AIA awards 2026 Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, Site Office Landscape Architecture and AW MaritimeSt Kilda Pier Redevelopment Pier Road, St Kilda Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize, 2026 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design, 2026 (Vic) 2025 Searle x WaldronNorthern Memorial Park Depot Northern Memorial Park, 49 Sages Road, Glenroy Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture, 2025 (National) Dimity Reed Melbourne Prize, 2025 Commercial Architecture Award, 2025 (Vic) Sustainable Architecture Commendation, 2025 (Vic) 2024 Public Realm LabPowerhouse Place Hugh King Drive, Mildura Regional Prize, 2024 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design, 2024 Allan and Beth Coldicutt Award for Sustainable Architecture, 2024 2023 Lyons with Koning Eizenberg Architecture, NMBW Architecture Studio, Greenaway Architects, Architects EAT, Aspect Studios and Glas Urban University of Melbourne Student Precinct University of Melbourne, Carlton Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design, 2023 (National) National Award for Heritage Architecture, 2023 Henry Bastow Award for Educational Architecture, 2023 Heritage Architecture Award for Creative Adaptation, 2023 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design, 2023 2022 Noxon Giffen Architects (with McGregor Coxall) Grampians Peaks Trail Stage 2 Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) Regional Prize, 2022 2021 Grimshaw in collaboration with Monash University Woodside Building for Technology and Design 20 Exhibition Walk, Monash University Clayton Campus Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, 2021 Melbourne Prize, 2021 Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, 2021 Award for Educational Architecture, 2021 2020 Kerstin Thompson Architects Broadmeadows Town Hall 10 Dimboola Road, Broadmeadows Public Architecture Commendation, 2020 2019 Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design Parliament of Victoria Members' AnnexeSpring Street, East Melbourne National Award for Public Architecture, 2019 Melbourne Prize, 2019 William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, 2019 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design, 2019 Allan and Beth Coldicutt Award for Sustainable Architecture, 2019 2018 Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects New Academic Street, RMIT University Bowen Street, Melbourne Melbourne Prize (Joint Winner), 2018 Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design, 2018 Henry Bastow Award for Educational Architecture, 2018 Award for Interior Architecture, 2018 National Award for Urban Design, 2018 2017 Silver Thomas Hanley, DesignInc & McBride Charles Ryan Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne