Victoria’s best building projects of 2021 have been unveiled.

During award ceremonies held at Crown Melbourne last Thursday and Friday, the Master Builders Association of Victoria announced its awards for the best commercial and residential projects of last year.

In commercial, Maben Group Pty Ltd was named Master Builders Victoria Commercial Master Builder of the Year for its upgrade to the aesthetics of more than 10,000 sqm of space on level 2 and at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north-west suburb Maribyrnong.

Maben undertook the project for its client GPT Group under a design and construct contract.

The work included replacement of all floor finishes, ceiling and soffit treatments, structural modifications to voids, upgrade of balustrades, feature lighting, service modifications and replacement of vertical transportation.

All works commenced after hours within a live and operating shopping centre environment and required a safe transition from the construction to retail trading environment each morning.

Despite COIVID and the challenging nature of the site, the project was finished in nineteen months.

The judges were particularly impressed by the elaborate floor finishes, which consisted of a mix of bluestone and granite tiling incorporating a feature granite wave and decorative ‘possum tail swirl’.

Other quality finishes included a feature timber-look ceiling which included recessed inserts of plasterboard and perforated timber panels to achieve the look of a ‘honeycomb’, plus decorative cork wallpaper to feature curved bulkheads with stainless steel ribbed Rimex.

Meanwhile, Easton Pty Ltd was named Master Builders Victoria Residential Builder of the Year for its work in building a prestige home involving five-bedrooms and ten bathrooms home in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak.

Features include:

  • Five bedrooms and 10 bathrooms
  • Construction which included 74 precast panels that were installed by 130-tonne cranes.
  • An orientation which creates and maximises light from the exposed corner site with minimal setbacks
  • A spa
  • A lap pool
  • 4-meter-high ceilings on the ground floor
  • A dual height art gallery
  • A library
  • A gymnasium
  • A home theatre
  • 360-degree views from the roof terrace.

Speaking separately at each awards ceremony, Master Builders Victoria Rebecca Casson said the winning projects from all categories demonstrated the outstanding work of builders despite challenges from COVID.

A list of winners for all award categories can be seen here for the commercial category and here for the residential category.