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Science and dinosaurs – top gongs for home-grown design

The striking design of the University of Queensland’s new science building has taken out the top prize at the Queensland Architecture Awards.

Jun 27, 2022, updated Jul 26, 2022

The Andrew N Liveris building, named after the prominent businessman and Brisbane Olympics Organising Committee president, was hailed by the judges as a “remarkable piece of architecture”.

Designed by Lyons and m3architecture, the home of UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering took out the Queensland Medallion at the awards, as well as a string of other prizes.

Liveris and his wife Paul donated $13.5 million to UQ to support science leadership.

The 11-story cube shaped structure has unique features inside and out, including a glass exterior broken up by bright green ‘pod’ balconies, a dramatic central atrium and glass-walled laboratories allowing onlookers to see research in progress.

“In the current cultural and political environment, everyone understands how important it is to keep supporting the knowledge economy,” Lyons director Carey Lyon said.

“This building promotes a sense of discovery and curiosity for all participants, whether that is a first-year student, a PhD student or an industry figure”.

The Robin Dods Award for residential architecture went to the LiveWorkShare house at Samford, which judges saw as a model for accommodating work-from-home arrangements while not compromising on the feel of a family home.

Designed by Bligh Graham Architects, the house has a section for remote work and locates family bedrooms on its second floor. Airy corridors allow breezes through the house, with curtained boundary walls and red and green fibreglass sheets throughout the interior maintaining privacy.

“The dwelling provides solutions to issues surrounding housing affordability, remote working, and the need to house a growing population through the rigorous testing and execution of options for occupation,” the judges said.

An outdoor museum dedicated to Muttaburra’s most famous former resident won the FDG Stanley award or public architecture.

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The Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre, designed by Brian Hooper Architect, is made of local stone, with. lightweight floating orb roof allowing sunlight and ventilation.

A local grazier discovered the skeleton of a large dinosaur in 1963. The Muttaburrasaurus is the most complete fossilised dinosaur skeleton in Australia.

The judge’s praised the building’s connection to the environment, observing that the building “rises from the landscape as though it was always part of the town’s story”

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