Fitzroy Gardens Redevelopment

The redevelopment of the former Fitzroy Gardens Depot in Melbourne shows how design-led thinking can return overlooked land to public use. Set within the heritage-listed gardens, the project responded to a growing residential population, rising visitor numbers and the pressures of a changing climate on a historic landscape.

Rationalising the old maintenance depot freed roughly 4,500 square metres of previously inaccessible land back to the public realm. In its place sits a smaller, more efficient depot, a new visitor centre and cafe, and substantial new landscaped open space. Beneath the new public lawn, a 5 megalitre underground stormwater tank now provides a reliable alternative water source for irrigating the heritage gardens, easing reliance on potable supply.

Environmental and social sustainability underpinned every decision. Rather than treating the new buildings and landscape as separate additions, the team integrated them with the existing public realm so the gardens read as a single, coherent place. The visitor centre, veiled in a green screen of climbing plants, presents as a landscape element in its own right, while the restored historic rill gives the journey of water through the gardens a new visibility.

Urban design, landscape design and architecture by City of Melbourne City Design Studio. Photography by Nils Koenning.