A cutting edge luxury hotel tower utilising industry leading innovation, a stunning ode to indigenous heritage and a young man with a passion for excellence in building and construction have all taken out the top honours at the 2024 Master Builders Victoria Excellence in Construction Awards.

More than 730 people attended the gala dinner at Crown Palladium last night where Hickory was awarded the prestigious title of Master Builder of the Year for the 59-level Meriton Suites Melbourne project.

The stunning luxury all-suite hotel in Melbourne’s CBD was developed using Hickory’s patented Hickory Building System which accelerates construction programs by up to 30 per cent, minimising material and energy waste, whilst maximising quality and safety. It also utilised full mock-up prototypes and integrated offsite constructed bathroom pods.

While an indigenous meeting place was the inspiration for the design and construction of the Boronggook Drysdale Library which earned Nicholson Construction from Ballarat, the title of the 2024 Regional Commercial Builder of the Year.

Now a hub for the Drysdale community, the circular two storey building features a stunning landscaped rooftop amphitheatre featuring high performance environmental sustainable design and is part of the City of Geelong’s UNESCO design city accreditation program.

And a lifetime passion for building and construction starting as an apprentice carpenter and working his way through to be an accomplished Construction Manager of South-West Victoria for Fairbrother Constructions saw Aaron Finnigan from Warrnambool rewarded as the 2024 Young Builder of the Year.

With a commitment to continued learning and growth, Aaron has a Diploma of Leadership and Management, Higher National Diploma in Project Management, Certificate IV in Building and Construction, Certificate III in WHS and a Certificate III in General Construction.

Working his way up the ranks from apprentice to foreman, site manager and contracts administrator before reaching his current role, Aaron prides himself on being solution focused and setting an example through his work and mentoring those around him.

Master Builders Victoria CEO Michaela Lihou applauded the winners saying they represented the pinnacle of achievements for Victoria’s building and construction industry.

“Despite some of the challenges which have impacted our industry for a number of years, our winners and all of our finalists in our 2024 awards show once again, just how strong our industry is and how strong their commitment to excellence is,” she said. “Our warmest congratulations to them all!”

Master Builders Victoria President Geoff Purcell also congratulated the winners.

“There were 25 awards we were delighted to hand out last night and every one of them was richly deserved,” he said. “Right across Victoria, from our metro areas to the regions, we continue to see the very best projects being delivered by our members and I couldn’t be prouder.”

The full list of winners:

WINNER

Excellence in Fitout Under $5M

First Impressions Projects

Bon Vivant Bar, Mornington

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Excellence in Fitout $5M-$10M

McCormack Property Services Pty Ltd

Cornwalls Fitout, Melbourne


WINNER

Excellence in Fitout $5M-$10M

DLG SHAPE

Koorie Heritage Trust Birrarung Building Renovation, Melbourne

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Excellence in Fitout Over $10M

arete Australia

Old Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Imaging Relocation, East Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Fitout Over $10M

Buildcorp

Narrm Ngarrgu Library and Family Services, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings Under $3M

Kane Constructions

MPavilion 10, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $3M-$5M

Constructive Group Pty Ltd

S&P Orthodontic Clinic, Murrumbeena

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $5M-$10M

McCorkell Constructions

Queen's Food Hall, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $10M-$15M

APM Group (Aust) Pty Ltd

St Bernard's College - Senior Learning Centre, Essendon

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $15M-$20M

Newpol Construction Pty Ltd

Padua College - Coolock Learning Centre, Mornington

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $15M-$20M

Kane Constructions

Queenscliff Searoad Ferries Terminal Building, Queenscliff

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $20M-$30M

Kane Constructions

Gordon Institute of TAFE Culinary School, Geelong

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $30M-$80M

Ireland Brown Constructions Pty Ltd

Xavier College - Central Precinct Development, Kew

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $30M-$80M

Kane Constructions

Whitehorse Performing Arts Centre, Nunawading

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings Over $80M

Hickory

Meriton, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Lowrise Apartment Buildings

L.U. Simon Builders Pty Ltd

Overture, Kew

WINNER

Excellence in Mediumrise Apartment Buildings

Crema Constructions

Saint Moritz, St Kilda

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Excellence in Highrise Apartment Buildings

Hacer Group Pty Ltd

Spring Street Project, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Highrise Apartment Buildings

Hickory

Aspire, Melbourne

WINNER

Excellence in Construction of Industrial Buildings

Vaughan Constructions

Toyota Material Handling Facility, Dandenong South

WINNER

Excellence in Civil Construction Under $10M

Building Engineering

Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct - Plant 18 Phase 2 Early Works, Fishermans Bend

WINNER

Excellence in Civil Construction $10M-$25M

Juscot Construction and Management Pty Ltd

Toyota Blue Sky Altona Centralised Services, Altona North

WINNER

Excellence in Health & Safety

Kapitol Group

NEXTDC M2 Stage 5 Expansion Works, Tullamarine

WINNER

Homes Victoria Excellence in Social Procurement

Icon Pty Ltd    

Traditional Owner Artwork Integration Project, Flemington

SPECIAL COMMENDATION

Best Sustainable Project Under $30M

Never Stop Group

Sanders Place, Richmond

WINNER

Best Sustainable Project Under $30M

Figurehead Construction

Decjuba Head Office, Cremorne

WINNER

Best Sustainable Project Over $30M

Kane Constructions

Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Northcote

WINNER

Best Specialist Contractor

Facadex

ANMF Hotel, North Melbourne

MAJOR AWARDS

WINNER

Young Builder of the Year

Aaron Finnigan

WINNER

Regional Builder of the Year

Nicholson Construction

Boronggook Drysdale Library, Drysdale

WINNER

Master Builder of the Year

Hickory

Meriton, Melbourne

AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT:      

Master Builders Victoria CEO,  Michaela Lihou

Master Builders Victoria President, Geoff Purcell