2020 National Architecture Awards: National Award for Heritage Architecture

Jury citation

Lovell Chen’s work on the fourth incarnation of the Regent Theatre has prepared this important Melbourne landmark for a new generation of performers and theatregoers. A complex array of technical requirements on both sides of the stage is seamlessly accommodated without compromising the building’s decorative and aesthetic values.

The work is an exemplar of fine conservation and the painstaking research required to deliver it. Deep technical and spatial expertise is central to excellence in heritage architecture, as seen in the reconfiguration of the seating, which is resolved by a concealed three-dimensional truss at the leading edge of the dress circle. The architects’ conceptual skill and thoroughness in identifying, sourcing and coordinating the appropriate resources to realize such a project should not be underestimated.

Project credits

Architect Lovell Chen; Project team Peter Lovell, Milica Tumbas, Deirdre Heffernan, Tina Tam, William Jamieson, Jack Tweedie; Structural and services engineer Irwinconsult; Hydraulic consultant Andrew Christofi and Associates; Acoustic consultant Resonate; Theatre consultant Schuler Shook; Building surveyor Philip Chun; Fire engineering Affinity Fire Engineering; Lighting consultant Buckford Illumination Group; Quantity surveyor Slattery Australia; Access consultant Morris Goding Access Consulting; Electrical consultant Mendis Hanna and Associates; Photographers Dianna Snape (left), Peter Glenane (right)

Regent Theatre, Melbourne is built on the land of the Boon Wurrung and Woiwurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation.