Green Heart Planned for Melbourne Art Precinct

An urban garden about the size of the MCG has been unveiled as part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

The 18,000sq m garden, Laak Boorndap, will “serve as a vibrant public space attracting visitors and further enhancing the precinct’s appeal”, the Victorian Government said.

The green space in the centre of the Melbourne Arts Precinct, a planned cultural hub in the heart of the city, will be designed by a consortium that includes international design practice Hassell and US architects SO-IL.

Laak Boorndap will be a dense, climate-resilient urban planting, the government said, and will connect The Fox: NGV Contemporary with the NGV International, Arts Centre Melbourne and The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre. Cafes and restaurants will be a part of the precinct.

Victorian creative industries and development minister Colin Brooks said “Laak Boorndap will reshape the precinct and bring together nature, culture, art and design––a major investment in our creative industries, tourism and local jobs”. 

“[It] will be an absolute game-changer for the suburb, for this city and for the people of Victoria,” he said.

The creative industries in Victoria contribute around $40.3 billion to the state’s economy and employ nearly 320,000 people.

Construction of Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure project is expected to create an additional 11,000 jobs, further boosting the economic impact of the creative industries in Victoria.

Laak Boorndap’s integration with the Melbourne Arts Precinct will add further appeal—and foot traffic—to an already popular space that had 16 million visitors in in 2022-23.

▲ Laak Boorndap will connect NGV International with Fox Contemporary and other important cultural institutions.

The garden’s location within the Melbourne Arts Precinct and its proximity to renowned cultural institutions, combined with its accessibility and public appeal, could make it an ideal location for more retail outlets, dining experiences, studios, galleries, and office spaces.

Work on Laak Boorndap is due to start in 2026.

Brooks said that demolition work was under way at 77 Southbank Boulevard “so you’ll soon see the Fox Contemporary coming out of the ground”.

He said the project was “moving forward on time, on budget” and “the team is doing a power of work to keep it that way”.

The $1.6-billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation has been widely well received, but there have been some reservations about the design of the Fox Contemporary building.