LAB Architecture Studio was a firm of architects and urban designers based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

with international offices in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Directors

Peter Davidson after graduating from Bachelor of Architecture in 1980 from the NSW Institute of Technology,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, moved to London in 1981 where he became editorial assistant for the journal International Architect. Whilst running his own practice for ten years, Davidson was also teaching at various institutions, including the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...

where he met fellow design director of LAB Donald Bates. Davidson suffered a severe stroke in 2010 and has no involvement with Lab Architecture Studio. Donald Bates completed his bachelor's degree of Architecture in 1978 from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and received his masters of Architecture in 1983 at the

Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of C ...

. Bates was the associate architect to

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

for the Berlin: city edge competition entry as well as the Berlin Museum extension Competition entry, now also known as the

Jewish Museum Berlin The Jewish Museum Berlin (''Jüdisches Museum Berlin'') was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. On of floor space, the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new focuses ...

. After business partner Peter Davidson suffered a severe stroke in 2010, Bates was accused of forgoing his partner's physical, emotional and financial well-being. Quoted in The Age, Nina Libeskind referred to Bates' "Cynical opportunism and expediency". In 2012 Bates was appointed chair of architectural design at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

Awards

International awards

* Mipim AR Future Project Awards (2008) commended * FX International Interior Design awards London (2003) Best Museum category * Cityscape Architectural Review Awards (2007) Commercial Built + Community Future Categories - Shortlist * Kenneth Brown Award Hawaii (2003) Commendation for Asia Pacific Architecture * Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence: Asia Pacific USA (2005) Best Public Project * The Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Awards USA (2006)

Australian awards

RAIA (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

National Award (2007) - International Architecture *

National Awards (2003) *Interior Architecture Award *

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

Award for Urban Design *

Victorian Awards (2003) *Victorian Architecture Medal * Marion Mahony Griffin Award for Interior Architecture *

Melbourne Prize The Melbourne Prize is an Australian architectural award. It is awarded annually at the Victorian Architecture Awards by a jury appointed by the Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects to architectural projects that have made ...

(2003) *Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design *New Award Australia * Interior Design Awards Australia (2003) * Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture (2003) — Award for Design Excellence *

Dulux Dulux is an internationally available brand of architectural paint originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based pa ...

Interior Colour Award (2003) * Public Domain Award (2003) For Sustainability *

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...

Export Awards Commendee (2005) * Property Council of Australia — Victorian Division Australia (2005) — State winner of 2005 and Best Public Building * MBA National Building & Construction Awards (2006) — Export award under $25m * Australian Stone Architectural Awards — Best Civic Project (2006)

Notable projects

Federation Square

Completed in 2002,

Federation Square Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...

is situated on a corner site bound by Flinders and Swanston Streets in

, Australia. With a building footprint of 45,000 square metres the precinct incorporates commercial, civic and cultural programs.Federation Square: Lab Architecture Studio
ArcSpace.com, 28 April 2003. Retrieved 19 February 2013. Along with a wide variety of restaurants, bars and cafes and retail spaces larger institutions represented include the

Ian Potter Centre The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is an art gallery that houses the Australian part of the art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is located at Federation Square in Melbourne, Victori ...

(NGV), the

Australian Centre for the Moving Image ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is Australia's national museum of film, television, videogames, and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbourne, Victoria. During the 2014-15 finan ...

(ACMI), Melbourne headquarters for

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

and the Melbourne Visitor Centre. In 1997 an international design competition was launched by the Victorian Government with a focus of creating new civic space for Melbourne, connecting Flinders Street to the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

and enhancing the cultural attributes of the city. Five designs were shortlisted from the 177 entries. The winning design of Bates Smart Architects and Lab Studio Architects was announced in July 1997. When the competition was won,

was their first building project. The main plaza can accommodate up to 25000 people. The outdoor amphitheatre plays host to a variety of festivals and concerts as well as broadcasting cultural events such as the annual

Tropfest Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. It has also become known as the world's first global film festival. Founded by actor/director John Polson, Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people at the 'Tropicana Caffe' in ...

and sporting events such as the AFL (

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

) Grand Final. Federation Square was met with widespread disapproval, the architects receiving hate mail from people who loathed the design.

Mixed-use and offices

SOHO Shangdu Beijing, China (2004–07) Site area: 2.2ha Gross floor area: 170,000m2 Type: commercial, residential + retail Riyadh Business Center Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2005) Site area: 3.9ha Gross floor area: 87,000m2 Type: offices, hotel, retail Tatweer Towers Dubai (2006) Site area: 7.6ha Gross floor area: 1,500,000m2 Type: commercial offices, residential, hotel + retail Zovie Towers Tianjin, China (2007-) Site area: 2.7ha Gross floor area: 223,710m2 Type: commercial office, residential, retail, hotel + business club Guardian TowersThe Guardian Towers: Lab architecture studio
ArcSpace.com, 4 June 2007. Abu Dhabi (2007–09) Site area: 0.7ha Gross floor area: 50,000m2

Gallery

Image:Australian Centre for the Moving Image.jpg, Federation Square, Melbourne Image:Guardian towers ground view 1 - lab architecture studio.jpg, Guardian Towers, Abu Dhabi

References

Lab wins Federation Square competition - state government press release, 27/7/97Lab secures major project in BeijingLab Projects

External links

Lab Architecture Studio website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lab Architecture Studio Architecture firms of Australia Architecture firms based in Victoria (Australia)