Two Victorian government agencies have joined forces to launch a national architectural design competition for a new railway station at Frankston in Melbourne’s south-east.
In 2015, the Victorian government announced Frankston railway station would undergo a $50 million upgrade to transform it into a “state-of-the-art” transport hub.
In launching the competition, the state MP for Frankston Paul Edbrooke described the existing station as a “neo-industrial mess.”
The competition, jointly conducted by the Office of Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR), working with the support of the Frankston Revitalization Board, calls on Australian registered architects and urban designers to propose a high-quality architectural and urban design solution that will encourage civic pride.
“This exciting competition aims to open up opportunities to a wide range of architectural practices to test their design skills on significant projects for Victoria,” said Jill Garner, Victorian government architect. “A competition is a design-led process that raises the design bar, broadens the field of participants and has the capacity to skill up the next generation of design practices.”
The $50 million redevelopment of Frankston station is the flagship project in the $63 million revitalization of the Frankston station precinct. A masterplan for the precinct includes 25 projects and initiatives. The competition will also seek broader ideas about Frankston Station precinct.
“The jury will be looking for an intelligent, sensitive and highly functional design that is appropriate for the brief and also fits within the limited budget,” the competition brief states. “The ultimately successful competition design will balance and synthesize these two aspirations – one that is both architecturally ambitious and intelligently frugal.”
The competition will be conducted in two stages. The first stage is anonymous and entrants will be asked to proposed a “big picture” vision for the station. Up to five entrants will then be invited to participate in stage two of the competition. Each shortlisted entrant will receive $40,000 to further develop the designs.
The winner will be engaged as the project architect for phase one of the Frankston Station redevelopment project.
Entrants will be assessed by a jury which comprises Jill Garner (Victorian Government Architect, jury chair), Felicity Stewart (Stewart Hollenstein), Peter Elliott (Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design), Dennis Hovenden (Frankston City Council), Paul Edbrooke (state member for Frankston) and Geoff Oulton (DEDJTR).
Entries for stage one close on 18 November 2016. All entries will be publicly exhibited from 28 November to 9 December 2016. Shortlisted entrants for stage two will be announced on 13 December 2016. The winner will be announced on 27 March 2017. To enter, click here.
