MECC convention precinct celebrates the centre winning the 2010 North Queensland Architecture Building of the Year award.

MECC convention precinct and events manager Mark Fawcett celebrates the centre winning the 2010 North Queensland Architecture Building of the Year award.

IT seems Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) has caught the eye of some of North Queensland's top architects.

The MECC, by Cox Rayner Architects, has been awarded the 2010 North Queensland Architecture Building of the Year award.

State awards director Bud Brannigan said the MECC building not only provided a new 1500-seat auditorium for Mackay; it also injected new momentum into the city's cultural precinct. "The various required functions have been managed well by the architects, with performance, meeting, gathering and back-of-house spaces simply and discreetly separated. Internal surfaces also engender a sense of warmth," Mr Brannigan said.

"Externally, a series of continuous, closely spaced, eight-metre high hardwood columns to the street edge of the building provides both civic scale and contributes to the prevention of sun penetration. The new connection with the adjacent existing regional theatre is also seamless."

MECC convention precinct and events manager Mark Fawcett was thrilled the centre took out the major prize. "I knew the judging was taking place on Friday and I am absolutely delighted the MECC won," he said. "It is a very contemporary building." Mr Fawcett said he believed one of the reasons the new convention centre - which opened on July 11 last year - won was because of the building's versatility. He said the MECC had improved the cityscape of Mackay.

Seventeen architectural projects were entered in this year's awards, including constructions at Magnetic Island, Hamilton Island, Townsville and Ingham. Other Mackay commendations included the Bluewater Lagoon, by AECOM, and Lanai, by BVN Architecture.
Fallon Hudson | 1st March 2010