Sunbury Community Arts and Cultural Precinct, a Former Asylum, Wins Top Victorian Heritage Architecture Award

The Sunbury Community Arts and Cultural Precinct, formerly the Female Refractory Ward of the Sunbury Lunatic Asylum, has received the prestigious John George Knight Award for Heritage at the 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards. The precinct, designed by Architecture Associates with Openwork, transformed the historically significant building into a vibrant community arts space. The project meticulously retained original features like heavy metal cell doors and wrought-iron fencing while incorporating facilities for theatre, art galleries, and studios. The architects aimed to balance the building's traumatic past with its new role as a supportive community hub. The award recognizes the sensitive and innovative approach to heritage conservation, turning a site of confinement into a place of creativity and cultural expression outside metropolitan Melbourne.

This award celebrates the successful transformation of a former asylum into a thriving arts precinct, showcasing exemplary heritage architecture and community revitalization.