QVM sheds win top heritage architecture prize

The restoration of Queen Victoria Market sheds A-D and H-I has taken out a major heritage architecture award.

Designed by NH Architecture with Trethowan Architecture, the project involved repairing and refurbishing the open-air sheds including strengthening each individual column, beam, and truss, while a new insulated roof replaced the original roofing.

The Melbourne-based architecture firms worked closely with the City of Melbourne, Queen Victoria Market and Heritage Victoria to restore the national and Victorian heritage-listed site to “maintain its intrinsic and intangible value and ensure its longevity into the future”.

As part of the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards announced in June, the design was awarded the John George Knight Award for Heritage Architecture.

“The project successfully balances the restoration of significant architectural heritage with the needs of contemporary market operations setting a new benchmark for future restoration projects located within bustling urban environments,” the jury citation stated.

The council’s latest quarterly report of the Queen Victoria Market precinct renewal program noted the fifth and final stage of the heritage shed restoration project at Sheds H and I were “well under way”.

The report, published in May, said Sheds H and I traders would remain in temporary locations for an estimated three-year period as Sheds H and I would be used for site sheds and hard storage for the safety of traders and the public.

Caption: QVM sheds A-D and H-I have been recognised in the Victorian Architecture Awards. Photos: Dianna Snape.