The Grandstand at Flemington wins Property Council Award29 Jul 2002
The Grandstand at Flemington Racecourse was awarded the overall winner of the best commercial property award and winner in the category of Hotels, Motels, Resorts and other leisure related buildings, when the 2002 Property Council of Australia Awards was announced yesterday.
The prestigious, $46 million Grandstand, developed by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), designed by The Buchan Group and constructed by Probuild Constructions surpassed some of Melbourne's most architecturally innovative buildings for the esteemed recognition.
Chief Executive of the VRC, Mr Dale Monteith said, "The Grandstand was conceived to underpin the financial strength of the VRC as it moved into the 21st century. It has ensured that Flemington Racecourse remained competitive with other, newer sporting and entertainment venues and maintained Flemington's position as Australia's major international racecourse. It has also enabled us to expand our membership from 13,000 to 21,000, giving us the largest race club membership in Australia."
The awards are presented on the basis of an assesment of economic and financial factors, owner and user satisfaction, industry and community perception, efficiency, adaptability, quality of design and finish, quality of services, facilities and environmental sustainability.
Judges rated The Grandstand of extremely high quality, built on time and on budget, offering a quality of services, which are above industry standards and had a broad range of appeal to all age groups.
"Like all good things, the Grandstand was a long time in coming, but as our members have told us, it was worth the wait. The Grandstand has been embraced by members and praised by leading international racing administrators, who have acclaimed it as without peer in the world of racing," Mr Monteith said.
Some key features The Grandstand was recognised for include the glazed trackside façade, which provides views from almost every point of the interior, flexibility and amenities of use for functions on non-racedays and the $1.5 million, state of the art audio visual; tote and wagering facilities, which have set a new benchmark for on-course betting in Australia.
"This award has great significance for the VRC, as it is the premier property award in this State. It is a great honour to win and wonderful recognition to all who were involved in the development of the Grandstand," Mr Monteith said.
