The new Inspiring Innovations project at St Leonard's College in Brighton East earned ADCO Group Pty Ltd the top honour at the Master Builders Victoria Excellence in Construction Awards.

Before a crowd of more than 600 guests at Crown Palladium, ADCO Group Pty Ltd accepted the highest accolade for a commercial project.

Master Builders Victoria CEO Rebecca Casson congratulated ADCO Group Pty Ltd on winning the 2022 Master Builder of the Year – Commercial.

"We should all feel very proud of the high-quality work of our members in what has been another challenging year and the exceptional standards we uphold as Master Builders," Ms Casson said.

Ms Casson said the Inspiring Innovations project was designed to complement the college's existing buildings.

"The Inspiring Innovations Project at St Leonard's College provides a supportive atmosphere for student development and was designed to be in sympathy with existing buildings on the site and the surrounding residential neighbourhood," she said.

Key elements of the new development included the new Leonardian Performing Arts Centre, with a floor area of 2,800m² and the capacity to seat 600 patrons.

Other additions included a three-storey building with teaching spaces, a canteen, 11 dedicated learning areas, an exam area with a floor area of 4,200 m², and an external outdoor agora linking the two new buildings.

Ms Casson said the project's architecture beautifully blended contemporary design with the existing heritage feel of the school campus, boasting buildings constructed as early as the 1870s.

"Impressively, all works were completed in the middle of an operational school campus with 1500 school children in attendance," she said.

The project was completed within an 18-month design and construction window.

ADCO Group Pty Ltd will now go on to compete at the Master Builders Association National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards.

Also honoured tonight was Tiffany Lucas, from ADCO Group Pty Ltd, named Young Builder of the Year.

Tiffany, undertaking a Bachelor of Construction Management, has been with ADCO for 10 years, starting in corporate accounts before moving into building and construction.

Ms Casson said Tiffany's background in accounts and her experience working on projects gave her an excellent understanding of cost reporting and solid financial accruement.

"Tiffany works with the project team to provide innovative and cost-effective solutions whilst developing good relationships with all project stakeholders," Ms Casson said.

"Tiffany completed ADCO's internal national leadership course in 2021."

Ms Casson said Tiffany had worked on projects including St Albans Leisure Centre, St Leonard's College Inspiring Innovations, South Melbourne Primary School and Embracia Aged Care Avondale Heights.

"Tiffany achieves high-quality standards through benchmarking and prototyping, guaranteeing client satisfaction," Ms Casson added.

"She can understand and has quickly learnt about complex building technologies.

"The judges were impressed by her detailed understanding and knowledge of a completed project."

Meanwhile, Kane Nicholson Joint Venture was named Regional Commercial Builder of the Year for its work on the Ballarat Gov Hub.

Ms Casson said one of Development Victoria's objectives was to provide a modern, integrated fit-out to facilitate work efficiency.

"This was achieved by combining open-plan design to create expansive communal and flexible workspaces and integrating high-level technology," she said.

"This helped to promote agile working, connection, and improved productivity.

"The environment promotes health and wellbeing through its strong connection to timber finishes, lighting, and greenery."

Ms Casson said the project's completion was a significant milestone for Ballarat.

"The result is a state-of-the-art and sustainable workplace that sets a new standard for office accommodation," she said.

To view all the winning projects from the 2022 Excellence in Construction Awards, please click here.

The Excellence in Housing Awards will take place in October.