Vicinity Centres and GIC owned Emporium Melbourne shopping centre has been awarded the Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award in Commercial Architecture at this year’s Victorian Architecture Awards.

The shopping centre’s design, a project by the Buchan Group, was described as”mature, self-assured and elegant, with moments of joy found in the chocolate ripple ceiling and amenities” by the event’s jury.

Bruce Shaw, managing director of the Buchan Group, said the award was testament to the unique and ambitious nature of the project and reinforces Buchan’s expertise in re-imagining commercial and retail environments.

“Our design for Emporium merges history with modern retail principles to deliver a truly memorable leisure experience to the Melbourne CBD,” Shaw said.

“Every nuance and aesthetic subtlety employed in the design contributes to the destinational quality of the centre. It was a pleasure working with the team on this collaborative design journey that has resulted in such a striking and iconic development.”

Emporium forms the final link in the pedestrian chain of the CBD retail precinct that links Myer, David Jones, Melbourne Central, The Strand Arcade and Melbourne’s GPO.

The design is characterised by an interconnected, vertical retail environment reflecting the character and shopping experience of Melbourne’s famous network of laneways.

The Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards recognises the work of Victorian architects.

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