The City of Melbourne is partnering with Lendlease to create ‘Gurrowa Place’, a sustainable, mixed-use precinct at the southern edge of Queen Victoria Market.
Gurrowa is a Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung word meaning a place for exchange. The name of the new precinct has come out of a collaborative process of engagement with Wurundjeri knowledge holders.
Lendlease is leading this significant urban renewal project with the City of Melbourne, with a strong multidisciplinary team supporting its delivery. NH Architecture is leading the design team along with Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, Searle x Waldron Architecture, Openwork, McGregor Coxall, Lovell Chen and Urbis.
The team will aim to enhance the connection between the Queen Victoria Market and the CBD, creating a vibrant, meaningful, and inclusive precinct to complement and enhance the existing market.
The proposal includes 1.8 hectares of public open space replacing the existing car park. This large public space is being codesigned with the City of Melbourne.
A new building along Queen Street at the eastern edge of the new Market Square will become a civic anchor for the precinct.
Three climate-resilient buildings, one commercial and two residential, will rise at the southern boundary of the precinct. The two residential buildings will offer diverse housing options, with affordable housing and build-to-rent, along with student accommodation. A new underground car park will provide 220 spaces for market customers, and 300 spaces on weekends
These buildings will be anchored in an activated and authentically Melbourne ground plane. Our design for the precinct maximises sightlines, permeability, and pedestrian access across the site and into the city’s surrounds. We’ve conceived the ground plane as a network of interconnected and activated laneways, providing connections throughout and beyond the precinct. We will also restore the historic Franklin Street Stores, creating a new retail and hospitality experience within them.
The team has set ambitious goals for the environmental and social sustainability of the new precinct, targeting a significant reduction in embodied and operational carbon and world-leading green infrastructure. The vision is for a biodiversity-rich mosaic of interconnected green spaces, with native plant species reintroduced to the site.
“We’re very excited to be working with such a talented group of people on this urban regeneration project which will give back so much to the people of Melbourne. We feel privileged to be able to continue our work in this unique corner of the city, where we have already been involved with the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal. It’s such a wonderful place for Melbournians to come together. We hope this new precinct at the southern edge of the market can further stitch together Melbourne’s beloved market with the city.”
— Nick Bourns, NH Director and project lead
