Mudgee Arts Precinct building design award

Published on 21 October 2022

Mudgee Arts Precinct’s building design has been recognised by the Australian Institute of Architecture this week.

The design by BKA Architecture received the Institute’s 2022 NSW Country Division Award for Public Architecture.

Jury Chair, Noel Thomson said “The NSW Country Division Architecture Awards are a critical asset in the promotion of high-level design excellence in a regional context and to celebrate the architecture more broadly with our respective communities and regions all over NSW.

“The Mudgee Regional Arts Precinct blends the refurbishment of the former Cudgegong Shire building with a new gallery environment containing flexible exhibition spaces, tourism offices and ancillary facilities. The design captures a contemporary expression of the arts and architecture respecting and enhancing an existing heritage environment.”

Mayor of Mid-Western Regional Council, Des Kennedy said this was another accolade for a community asset that is both functional and striking in design.

“Council staff worked collaboratively with BKA Architecture to design a building that delivered on all the community’s needs and was both eye-catching and sympathetic to the local heritage streetscape,” Cr Kennedy said.

“I congratulate BKA Architecture and recognise everyone involved including Hutchinson Builders and Create NSW.”

Founding Director at BKA Architecture, John Baker said “All parties enthusiastically contributed to the project: Mid-Western Regional Council, Create NSW and Hutchinson’s Builders.

“The gallery complex makes a complementary addition set back from the many public heritage buildings which line Market Street. For BKA to win this award was the icing on the cake, reinforcing Mudgee’s award as Australia’s Top Tourism Town.”

The award comes just weeks after the Precinct was nominated in the 2022 World Architecture Festival 2022 announced in Lisbon next month. Additional funding was secured for the construction project through the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund and NSW Government’s Regional Cultural Fund and Infrastructure and Jobs Acceleration Fund.

Image: Elisa Hessey