AMID reports of a slowdown and retrenchments at major firms, a record 59 projects have been shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects national awards, including 16 in Victoria.

The Royal Children's Hospital (Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart) has been nominated for public architecture, along with the Melbourne Brain Centre (Lyons), Narbethong Community Hall (BVN) and Melbourne University Boat Club (Lovell Chen). Also in the running are the Ormond College Academic Centre in Parkville (McGlashan Everist) and Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (Fender Katsalidis).

The multiple-housing category includes Brunswick's Heller Street Park and Residences (Six Degrees), Monash University Student Housing (BVN) in Clayton, and RMIT's University Lawn Precinct and the William Buckley Bridge in Barwon Heads (both Peter Elliott) among the six nominated.

Denton Corker Marshall's University of Indonesia Central Library is one of five contenders for the award for international architecture.

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The shortlist was selected from 140 award-winning projects in state and territory competitions by former AIA president Brian Zulaikha, Singapore-based architect Kerry Hill, Sydney's Richard Johnson, Melbourne's Amy Muir, and Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and Sydney Biennale artistic director Juliana Engberg.

The winners will be announced on November 1.