BDP - Mixed-Use Development - Australia, Melbourne Docklands

Date: 24 Jan 2003

BDP has been successful in winning the bid to design Aus $500 million mixed use masterplan in the Melbourne Docklands.

To be known as Waterfront City the project is led by developer ING and designed by BDP in collaboration with the Australian architectural firm Hassell. The developer-led competition started six months ago with the ING team as one of five bidders and these were reduced to three, then two finalists - ING and the team of MAB (local developers).

The site is the last and largest of the waterfront sites in Melbourne to be developed and is intended to house primarily entertainment, retail and residential uses. The collaboration between BDP and Hassell worked very well and necessitated a number of working visits to Melbourne, involving presentations, by the BDP team (Peter Coleman and Richard Rees). A key factor in the choice of the winning design was the experience of the latest European mixed use planning and urban design thinking brought to the design by the BDP team.

The winning scheme is based on a simple concept of two streets linking ‘festival retail’ on the waterfront to an entertainment area deep in the site. In between there is a district of 50,000 m² of ‘Brand Direct’ retail (the Australian equivalent of high quality factory outlets) with over 400 residential units over, forming shopping streets on two levels. The waterfront consists of a major square with marina and ferry facilities fronting it. A key building is the ‘Victoria Showcase’ a facility similar in principle to London’s ‘Vinopolis’ but dealing with all the produce from the region. The entertainment component contains a puppet theatre, cinemas, bowling and a possible observation wheel. Parking is provided on a single level and in decked parking buildings that are clad in offices. There is also a bulky goods area, a hotel, commercial offices and a fire station provided in the masterplan.

The development is intended to be largely completed by the 2006 Commonwealth Games. BDP will design several of the key buildings in the overall masterplan with Hassell as their executive architect. Hassell will design the remaining buildings.

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