Queen Victoria Market plays a critical role in the identity of the people of Melbourne, along with its architecture, its cultural offering to ‘Public Place’ is also recognised via its National Heritage listing.
With a vision to create a thriving and diverse market place for future generations, this proposal would see all of the open air heritage sheds conserved, restored and enhanced in-situ. This proposal will also see the enhancement of the public realm through improved streetscapes, the progressive development of new open space on the current at-grade car park, and allow for mixed-use redevelopment of the ‘Southern Development Site’ on Franklin Street.
The project aims to ensure financial and environmental viability long term. Through the collection of rainwater, installation of solar panels and the reduction of landfill waste to 5%, it intends to achieve Green Star Community Rating.
With a longstanding tradition of selling fresh produce as well as merchandise, the Market has complex needs surrounding storage at the stalls. A kit of parts was proposed to provide flexibility for the traders, this will allow each trader to install as much or as little storage as required whilst being conceivably movable in line with Heritage Victoria guidelines. Equally, this enables a degree of visual customisation, and allows traders to alter their stalls in conjunction with changes to their businesses.
