Now in its 23rd year, the Dulux Colour Awards have been announced at Melbourne’s BRIGHTspace Gallery last week.

This year’s theme was ‘Show us your colour touch’ and the Grand Prix title for 2009 was awarded to ARM architects for their Melbourne Theatre Company project.

The judging panel – comprising AIA Victorian Chapter President Karl Fender, colour and design lecturer Di Swinbourn and artist Mark Schaller – found ARM’s dramatic use of colour “teased the mind into the third dimension” and enhanced the architecture.

“There is a level of drama and theatrics behind the palette that echoes and enriches the very culture and purpose of this space,” says Fender.

“In every sense of colour touch ARM has proven the Melbourne Theatre Company to be a worthy winner of this year’s Dulux Colour Awards.”

ARM received the Dulux Colour Awards trophy, $2,000 in cash, a trip to Paris for the Maison-objet and the opportunity to design the colour scheme of the Bookshop at designEX 2010 in Sydney.

The following were recognised for their use of colour in architecture:

Commercial Interior and Grand Prix Winner – ARM, Melbourne Theatre Company

(Commendation to Freeman Ryan Design, Australian Museum Sydney – Surviving Australia Exhibition/ NGV, No Standing Only Dancing/Suters Architects, Sacred Heart Primary School/ Michael Ellis Architects, Ormond Rd)

Commercial Exterior Winner – Bates Smart Pty Ltd, Grand Plimmer (New Zealand)

(Commendation to Katrina Hill Design, Home of Maree Knight)

Residential Interior Winner – Emma Mitchell Architects, Beach House Anglesea

(Commendation to Andrew Maynard Architects, Vader House)

Residential Exterior Winner – Adrian Fitzgerald of Denton Corker Marshall, Tube House

(High Commendation to Emma Mitchell Architects, Beach House Anglesea)

Sustainable Interior Winner – Williams Boag Pty Ltd Architects, TAC

Student Winner – Lorenzo Kuo Kuang JU, Hepburn Bath House

(Commendation to Chau Nguyen, Spiral Motion)

dulux.com.au/colourawards

Bates Smart Pty Ltd, Grand Plimmer (New Zealand) © Patrick Reynolds 2009

Adrian Fitzgerald of Denton Corker Marshall, Tube House © Tim Griffith.

Emma Mitchell Architects, Beach House Anglesea © Dianna Snape

Lorenzo Kuo Kuang JU, Hepburn Bath House

Williams Boag Pty Ltd Architects, TAC