Melbourne Is Set to Score a New Elevated Park as Part of the Arts Precinct's Massive Redevelopment
The first designs for the precinct — which encompasses the yet-to-be-built NGV Contemporary — have been releasedby Melbourne-based practice Hassell and New York's SO-IL.
Last year the Victorian Government shared some pretty big plans for the National Gallery of Victoria and its surrounds. As part of a major redevelopment of the Southbank arts precinct, it committed over $200 million to building a brand new contemporary art gallery (to be known as the NGV Contemporary) alongside the creation of new public space and upgrades to existing facilities. Now, the first designs for the new-look precinct have been revealed — and they include a new elevated park.
Local architecture firm Hassell, along with New York-based practice SO-IL, has scored the contract for the mammoth job with its lofty designs that include 18,000 square metres of renewed public space. The most exciting part of the designs, though, is the inclusion of a new elevated park. While we don't know exactly where it will be erected, we do know that it — and the whole precinct — will be filled with gardens courtesy of the horticulturalists that greened up London's Barbican Centre.
A render of what the precinct might look like when complete.
On top of that, there will be new pedestrian crossings leading in and out of the area, presumably making the NGV and Arts Centre more accessible from Southbank and the north side of the Yarra, rather than just via St Kilda Road. This, along with the new Metro Tunnel, which will see a new station open at the Domain Interchange, and the current revitalisation of Southbank Boulevard will make for a very different Southbank in a few years. Hopefully one that's buzzing with people at all times of the day, and encourages more Melburnians to visit the 20-plus galleries and theatres in the area.
The State Government will invest $208 million for the first two years of the project. This allows for the NGV to start planning and raise philanthropic funds to pay for the rest of the gallery which, when completed, will be the biggest contemporary art gallery in the country.
Premier Daniel Andrews has called the redevelopment a "once-in-a-generation" project, and thinks it will be a "game-changer" for the city.
Construction on the Melbourne Arts Precinct revitalisation will begin soon, and a completion date is still TBC.
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