We’re pleased to share that The Boot Factory, designed by Tomek Archer / Archer Office with Partridge as structural engineers, received Excellence in Timber – Public Building and Best in All Categories (Timber Excellence Award / Grand Prix) at the 2025 Australian Timber Design Awards, held at Rydges Melbourne CBD. Actress and sustainability campaigner Rebecca Gilling hosted the evening and announced the winners.
The Boot Factory is a striking example of how timber can breathe new life into a heritage structure. Originally built in 1892 and condemned before works began, the building has been transformed into a civic innovation hub using an adaptive reuse methodology. The design retained the original brick perimeter walls while completely reconstructing the interior and roof with a new glue-laminated Australian hardwood structure.
New columns and an inverted floor system highlight the warmth and beauty of exposed Victorian Ash beams and planks, celebrating timber craftsmanship while providing flexibility for future use. The roof was entirely rebuilt with an exposed solid timber structure of radial rafters that converge at a central skylight, bringing daylight deep into the space and creating a direct visual connection to the sky.
Sustainability informed every design decision, from heritage conservation and energy performance to material selection and long-term adaptability. By retaining and stabilising the 1890s brick walls, the project significantly reduced demolition waste and embodied carbon. Timber here serves as a bridge between past and future, resulting in a warm, durable interior that expresses structure, sustainability, and resilience.
As a community and innovation hub, the Boot Factory demonstrates that heritage buildings can be reimagined as future-focused, low-impact civic infrastructure — merging materiality and ecology in a way that speaks to both place and purpose.
Congratulations to Tomek Archer / Archer Office and;
Senior Associate and Project Manager – Shane Denvir
Structural Team Leader – Ronnie Ho
Structural Engineer – Owen Fullerton
Senior Design Drafter – Venkat Kerthy.
Partridge is proud to have contributed the structural engineering for this award-winning project.
partridge.com.au/boot-factory
archeroffice.com/projects/boot-factory
timberdesignawards.com.au
