20th Anniversary Hansen Yuncken Prize Exhibition
The Brief
In late September 2010 I was invited to a meeting with faculty staff from the Melbourne University Construction Management program as well as Louise and Richard Hansen of Hansen Yuncken to discuss the upcoming Anniversary of the Hansen Yuncken prize, established in honour of their younger brother Michael Hansen. With the award reaching its 20th year, the University thought it might be nice to celebrate the special milestone and were donating the Universities Wunderlich Gallery space for the event. The Hansens accepted the invitation and asked if I would be able to put something together in time, as the event was just over a month away, and I was also working on three large tenders for the organisation. I was very excited by the opportunity, the Wunderlich Gallery was a large blank canvas and I was well versed in the rich history of the organisation. There was no official budget but as a guide I was asked to keep costs to a minimum and to meet up with everyone in a week's time to present my ideas.
Rosanna Verde, the Events and Exhibitions Coordinator sent a copy of the dimensions and arranged a walk through of the area so I could see what was available. By the time we met up again I had a complete concept with scale diagrams and was ready to go. This would not be just a room with a few framed posters. It would be a complete exhibition from start to finish, with floor to ceiling panels, video clips and a range of artefacts from the Hansen collection.
I wrote all the content, sourced the images, interviewed staff and students featured, and produced all the invitations and artwork, mostly in my own time, in three weeks. The final cost for printing was just under $1,500 including setup and installation of the enormous panels. Originally the exhibition was scheduled to run for four days, however it was so well received it remained open for 12 weeks and received glowing reviews from local and even international outlets. Many people came to see the images of their parents, grandparents and even great grandparents and the changes in the way things were done.
Following the exhibition, I was awarded the 2010 Hansen Yuncken Building Value Award (Employee of the Year) for outstanding individual achievement for the design and execution of the 20th Anniversary Hansen Yuncken Prize Exhibition.
Early History
As guests entered the space I wanted to introduce Hansen Yuncken and the significant role they have played in many of Melbourne's landmark construction projects. The company was formed on the streets of Melbourne in 1918, so the first series of five panels explores the early history.
The period from the 1st World War through to the 1970's was a period of rapid advancement in material technologies and materials handling. Thanks to the meticulous storage of images and records by the Hansen family I was able to bring to life these incredible stories with the historical images.
I kept the colour palette simple, monochrome images against the Hansen Yuncken brand colours of yellow with the ink blue logo weaving through the panels. I wanted the stories to be short bites, so you could read little bits and pieces or linger for hours if you had the time.
The five Early History panels measured 2,400 high x 1,346 wide
Modern Projects and Innovation
Taking advantage of the large pillar breaking into the exhibition wall space, the next set of panels changed focus to the modern innovations. Hansen Yuncken is proud to be at the leading edge of their industry and were the first company to deliver a 6-star Green Star building with Council House 2 (CH2) at 240 Little Collins St. Also featured in these modern panels the EPA building which also has a 6-Star Green Star rating, RMIT Storey Hall with those alien like tessellations, Costco and Waterfront City from the Docklands precinct and the award winning National Ice Skating Centre.
To show the switch into the modern age, I gave these images a high impact colour pallet but kept the Hansen Yuncken yellow and ink blue logo, so the two areas would visually link to each other.
The four Modern Project panels each measure 2,400 high x 1,625 wide
Audiovisual
To add movement and a break from the static displays, I created an audiovisual loop featuring more of the Hansen Yuncken significant projects and features. The 24 minute presentation had no sound and ran on a continuous loop projected onto the end wall, which was also visible from the entry.
Michael Hansen and the Hansen Yuncken Prize
The next section paid tribute to the late Michael Hansen, who passed away after a long illness at the age of 21 while in the second year of his Building Degree.
It detailed how the Hansen Yuncken company, together with Michael's parents and the staff and students of the Department of Architecture established the Hansen Yuncken Prize in Michael's honour, with the first prize awarded in 1990.
This was a single yellow panel featuring images of Michael. It measured 2,550 high x 1,750 wide
Past Winners of the Prize
The next set of panels was all about the past recipients of the Hansen Yuncken Prize. With the help of the University I managed to track down most of the previous winners and asked what winning had meant to them and what they were doing now.
There are four panels in this series, with a background in the University of Melbourne royal blue. Each panel is 2,550 high x 1,750 wide
Former Students now Hansen Yuncken Staff
With the final series of panels, we come full circle back to Hansen Yuncken, this time featuring staff who previously studied construction at the University of Melbourne and their achievements since completing their course. It was a nice way to complete the ties between the company and the university.
There are two panels in this series, with a background in the Hansen Yuncken ink blue. Each panel is 2,550 high x 1,750 wide