Melbourne’s emerging designers embrace adaptive reuse to revitalise the city

Open House Melbourne Weekend 2024 invited patrons to rediscover their city, exploring new places and reconnecting with old favourites. Gray Puksand was proud to host the second annual Emerging Designer’s Festival on July 27 at our recently completed 300 Flinders Street project as part of the celebrations.

In line with the 2024 theme, we challenged design students to propose a fictional adaptive reuse transformation of an existing building in the Melbourne CBD. Looking at the evolving demands of the CBD, including sustainability and functionality, our panel of expert judges, including National Managing Partner Nik Tabain, John Czechowski, Ben Wilkie, Pragya Gupta, Aurelia Gachet, and Kara Thapar selected four finalists from the numerous entries received.

Following an insightful presentation from Ben about the process of transforming 300 Flinders Street into a vibrant mixed-use destination, the finalists presented their own adaptive reuse projects.

The presentations began with Lena Nguyen presenting her project “Old Bradmill Factory”, which transformed the Factory in Yarraville into a vibrant community centre for underground artists. Utilising the existing façade, roof structure and recycled materials, the design conceptualises a labyrinth of interconnected underground spaces that blend the accessibility and visibility of public art with the dynamic and subversive culture of underground art. In addition to delivering a weather-proof exhibition space, Lena’s design works to minimise graffiti in the CBD by providing an inclusive community for street artists.

Swasti Dawer and Ananya Kurada then presented “Ecosystem in a Nutshell: A Sustainable Urban Oasis”. Inspired by traditional Aboriginal water collection methods, the design concept proposed the repurposing of 500 Flinders Street through integrating a central funnel system that captures, purifies and stores water in the CBD, promoting sustainable water management. Swasti and Ananya’s pavilion design provides versatile recreational spaces for visitors of all ages and encourages community connection by fostering a greater relationship with nature and facilitating social interactions.

The third presentation, “Green Parkade” by Kelly Hui and Oswald Tanim, sought to address the inefficiencies of traditional car parks by converting Melbourne CBD’s Total House car park into a dynamic sustainability hub. The proposed adaptation would be built to deliver a range of educational programs spanning agriculture, health, biodiversity, energy and water management, complemented with corresponding planting zones and a hydroponic vertical farm to address climate change and food insecurity. The project not only repositions the underutilised building to cater to human use but seeks to provide the public with the knowledge and resources to live more sustainably.

Trisha Karkhanis and Davika Kale were the final team to present, sharing their project “Off The Grid”. The pair selected a B-grade commercial asset on La Trobe Street and proposed a lively mixed-use development that blends affordable purpose-built student accommodation, aged care, offices, retail, gardens, and recreational spaces. A range of circular initiatives including composting, vegetable gardens and a waste recycling ATM to encourage residents to build sustainable living habits. Additionally, communal facilities including kitchenettes and laundry machines allow residents to pay lower rents whilst experiencing a high standard of living.

Ultimately, the panel of judges selected Kelly and Oswald’s “Green Parkade” as the winning entry, commending the pair on their innovative approach to the brief and unwavering attention to detail throughout the design.

“The judges were incredibly impressed by how Kelly and Oswald clearly highlighted the issue of underutilised car parks in the CBD and proposed a thoughtful and rigorous solution that centres the human experience whilst accommodating the constraints of the existing structure,” said judge and Gray Puksand’s Senior Associate John Czechowski.

To celebrate their winning entry, Kelly and Oswald have each been offered a six-week internship at Gray Puksand’s new Melbourne studio.

Congratulations to each of our finalists for their outstanding adaptive reuse proposals and thank you to all who joined us to celebrate Melbourne’s next generation of designers.

If you are interested in starting your career at Gray Puksand, stay tuned to learn more about our upcoming graduate program in 2025.

Melbourne’s emerging designers embrace adaptive reuse to revitalise the city

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