425 million Melbourne Connect takes shape

Construction has commenced on Melbourne Connect, a new precinct on the site of the former Royal Women’s Hospital that will foster new ways of thinking and learning.

(All images supplied by Woods Bagot)

Located on the corner of Swanston and Grattan streets, Melbourne Connect will bring together start-ups, world class university researchers, government agencies and industry in a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Developed by the University of Melbourne in partnership with a consortium led by Lendlease, the $425 million project will provide public spaces, retail, cafés and accommodation for more than 500 students and visiting academics.

The Woods Bagot-designed building will also feature a childcare centre, a co-working and commercial office space, as well as a fabrication laboratory and Science Gallery Melbourne which will deliver cutting-edge exhibitions, events and experiences.

Melbourne Connect, which is also being delivered in partnership with GIC, Spotless and Urbanest, will strengthen Melbourne’s status as a knowledge city.

“Melbourne Connect brings together university led research, industry and elite thinking in a purpose-built innovation precinct,” says Lendlease’s managing director for urban regeneration, John Burton.

The design incorporates a 4,000 sqm ‘Superfloor’ on the mezzanine level connecting the buildings, which is an “extension of the workplace for meeting, workshopping, socialising, exhibiting and hosting events,” says Sue Fenton, Woods Bagot’s senior associate and interior design lead.

The site’s smallest building will be constructed from cross-laminated timber.

“CLT stands out for its sustainability, versatility, strength and aesthetic,” says the firm’s principal and project architecture lead Hazel Porter.

“Long championed by Lendlease, its benefits translate to safer working environments, improved quality and faster construction time on site due to prefabrication.”

The CLT building will form a centre dedicated to enriching the culture of entrepreneurship within the university, and will play host to pitch nights, hackathons and masterclasses. Childcare facilities will span the upper floors to the rooftop terrace.

The history of the former site of the Royal Women’s Hospital will be preserved and integrated into the new design through the re-use of heritage materials.

Woods Bagot won the university’s design competition for the project in 2016.

Melbourne Connect innovation precinct has been shortlisted in the 2018 World Architecture Festival awards, with winners to be announced in Amsterdam at the end of November.