Sacred Heart Building Abbotsford Convent Foundation by Kerstin Thompson Architects

Built on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation

Abbotsford, Victoria

Jury citation Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent is on Australia’s National Heritage List as the largest intact example of an institution dedicated to the care of “fallen and wayward women.” Works by Kerstin Thompson Architects to accommodate a vibrant multi-arts community within the Sacred Heart Building are bold and brave. An articulated philosophy of “leave well enough alone” has guided every design decision so that the existing fabric is respected, but reworked where necessary to support the building’s new uses. The result is an architecture that intrigues and enlightens. New elements – most visibly, a bridge connecting one part of the building to another – are distinctive and united through material (almost exclusively galvanized steel and lightfiltering mesh). The project serves as an admirable precedent for further works at Abbotsford Convent and for the broader approach to heritage fabric.

Architect Kerstin Thompson Architects; Project team Kerstin Thompson, Erica Diakoff, Scott Diener, William Samuels; Project manager Stephen Rogers; Project coordinator Scott Walker; Site manager Greg Broadhead; Structural engineer Kersulting; Building services Umow Lai; Acoustic engineer Marshall Day Acoustics; Heritage consultant Bryce Raworth; Building surveyor Hendry; Quantity surveyor Harlock Consulting; Conservation specialist Robin Hodgson and Associate; Materials conservation Caroline Kyi; Tile and ceramic conservation Penny Byrne; Curator/arts and heritage consultant Tracey Avery; Builder FDC