The Point Melbourne

New addition to Albert Park

If you’ve been to Albert Park in Melbourne lately, home of the Australian Grand Prix, you will have noticed an enticing new structure located on a small promon-tory at the northern end of the park’s lake. Built on such a prominent site, The Point, as the structure has been named, enhances its location by forming an exclamation mark at the end of a row of refurbished boat sheds along Aquatic Drive.

The Point is a two-storey mixed-use building which came about after the park’s manager, Melbourne Parks and Waterways (MPWW), called for expressions of interest for the site.

Maddison Architects were engaged in April 1995 to design, document and administer the construction of the building with a completion deadline of February 1996. To meet these tight time constraints, a steel-framed building was selected and a fast-track construction process was adopted, requiring close liaison between builder and architect. The project was successfully completed on time and on budget and it won the prestigious 1996 Australian Institute of Steel Construction award for architectural steel design in Victoria.