The newly built Lakeside Visitor Centre at Victoria’s world-famous Puffing Billy Railway has been awarded the highest honour at the 2022 International Architecture Awards in Chicago overnight.
The state-of-the-art centre has taken out the prestigious global award for Best New International Architecture for 2022 – announced by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Backed by a $12.7 million investment from the Victorian Government, the Lakeside Visitor Centre is a centrepiece of the Puffing Billy Railway – visited by thousands each year.
Designed by TERROIR Architects, the Lakeside Visitor Centre celebrates the rich history of the century-old heritage steam railway through a collection of steam-era artifacts and an immersive multimedia experience.
The Alto Cibum team was engaged to be part of the design team by Terroir Architects after providing earlier advice in the Puffing Billy Master Plan. Alto Cibum developed a food and beverage master plan for the attraction and was the kitchen designer for the Lakeside Visitor Centre.
Since it’s opening in December last year the Centre has drawn more people to the heart of the Dandenong Ranges and boasts a range of dining options featuring seasonal local produce, as well as a hi-tech function space to host workshops, conferences, events and school excursions.
The new café located within the Lakeside Visitor centre has been a key driver in the grow of the food and beverage offer and has enhanced the visitor experience.
The International Architecture Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious distinguished global building awards programs that honours new and cutting-edge design worldwide.
An international jury of distinguished designers selected over 150 submissions from a shortlist of over 650 projects.