Greek-Australian Architectural Firm Wins Melbourne Prize

The team at Andronas Conservation Architecture in Melbourne, Australia recently received the esteemed Melbourne Prize for its renovation of the State Library of Victoria.

Essential services such as providing the leaders of the large project with heritage advice during the construction period and coordinating heritage approvals for the work were among the many integral responsibilities of the Greek-Australian architectural firm.

Arthur Andronas, the director of Andronas Conservation Architecture, was clearly excited about his company’s recognition, admitting to interviewers “It was a great honor, honestly.”

The Greek-Australian architect explained that his team put a great deal of effort into the project, from the design process to implementing the restoration of the State Library of Victoria.

“I feel honored that my team was able assist in resurrecting the classical idylls as represented by the State Library, but especially the Queens Hall. We were fortunate to have played our part with Architectus (Melbourne) and Schmidt Hammer Lassen (Denmark) in this most successful outcome,” Andronas said.

Andronas and his team took this renovation opportunity to incorporate color into the building as well as include ancient Greek symbols such as meanders and acanthi.

The State Library project also earned Andronas Conservation Architecture the Victorian Architecture Award this year for its “Vision 2020” redevelopment, which wrapped up in December of 2019. The firm also placed in the “Heritage-Conservation” category of the Awards.

Winners of the awards were announced during a virtual ceremony which took place on July 10, with 63 recipients across 15 categories, with Andronas and his team among the winners.

Andronas said that the recognition he and his team received was particularly important because the awards came from fellow architects who know the amount of effort necessary for such a restoration project.