Geelong Arts Centre takes out top award at Chicago Athenaeum

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies has named the Geelong Arts Centre the most cutting-edge project of 2021, receiving the International Architecture Award.

Now in its 18th year, the International Architecture Awards honour the world’s most innovative, distinguished buildings from the past year. For 2021, an international jury composed of several esteemed architects, critics, and educators named Geelong Arts Centre among the top entries from a global shortlist of over 450 projects.

The A$38.5 million Geelong Arts Centre redevelopment is a striking, translucent building that dramatically reveals a once-hidden heritage church on the site. The new building better connects the Playhouse Theatre and studios and opens up the Centre as a cultural hub for the city and beyond.

The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, will hold the official Awards Gala next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece mid-September.