queen victoria market community environment park Gabrielle Raz-Liebman
/thebrief: To upgrade the existing carpark of the Queen Victoria Market into a space that will serve the current and future communities of Melbourne. By harnessing the activity of the Market, this space will become a key activity node within the CBD, as well as foster a culture of environmental and community awareness. The Queen Victoria Market is ready for an upgrade. Opened officially in 1878, this historic place of commerce and congregation has remained largely unchanged through its 130 years. It remains one of Melbourne’s most important cultural and historic destinations for both tourists and locals, but in order to transition the market into one that may serve the needs of future populations, vast changes must be made to the surrounding context. Located in Melbourne’s rapidly densifying City North, the future demands of this space are going to be high. In addition, rising temperatures attributed to the Urban Heat Island Effect, aggravated by climate change, are going to see Melbourne’s inner-urban areas becoming less and less liveable unless interventions are made now to provide spaces to counter the impact of these changes. Currently, the Market as it exists provides the surrounding community with plenty of spaces for activity and activation, with one of the most successful event being the Night Market, which attracts quantities of a diverse range of people from across the city. It is these sorts of 24/hour activities that can transform a city from a space of buildings, to a place for people.
‘First Life, Then Spaces, Then Buildings.’ - Jan Gehl
community
Based on Jan Gehl’s ‘Life, Spaces, then Buildings’ framework, I have been able to identify a series of key cultural interactions that work as a system of social and spatial encounters to create the bustling and well-loved market that we experience today. In order to extend this successful market culture into the surrounding future site development, it is essential to identify the values that drive the success of the experiences within the QVM, and find ways to foster similar forms of encounter and spatial biographies in a rapidly changing and unpredictable urban environment.
market processes
sensory experience
history and heritage
activate space
cultural events
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major road potential carpark
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PUBLIC TRANSPORT
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
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visitor shuttle bus existing train station future train station
Existing vegetation Christina Li
BICYCLE
bicycle lane
Transport map Syimah Ahmad
LEGEND
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The site of the QVM is largely accessible by public transport and car, with roads surrounding the entire site and multiple tram stops and train stations within a ten minutes walk of the site. However, accessibility for cyclists is low. Whilsts bike paths exist on the western edge of the site, there is a major gap in the network on the southern and eastern sides, which greatly restricts visitor capabilities. As the majority of visitors enter from the east, via busy Elizabeth, to restrict bicycle access through this area causes enormous difficult for those trying to ride between some of the cities major activity nodes. By providing better cycling access and parking with the QVM, the site will see a decrease in road congestion and an increase in visitors, as well as support the transition towards sustainable methods of transport.
tram
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bus The network of green space as it currently exists within the City of Melbourne is based primarilly on the existance of large, exotic street trees (as shown in the image above). Whilst they are not as profficient in providing habitat for fauna as the native species would, their large canopies provide essential colour and shade within what would otherwise be an extremely harsh and unliveable urban climate.
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/site analysis
potential carpark
Located within one of Melbourne key activity corridors, the QVM is an essential node within a network of public attractions, including the Flagstaff Gardens and Melbourne Central. However, the carpark of the the QVM is currently underutilised and disruptive of what would otherwise be a largely pedestrian friendly CBD. The aims of the CoM, in accordance with Jan Gehl’s theories, are to create a city that allows for the experience of life at the human scale. Whilst such large areas of space remain harsh, unsafe, and unactivated (such as this carpark), Melbourne cannot achieve its fullest potential as a city for people.
visitor shuttle bus
In addition, the large-canopied street trees are part of Melbournes most iconic features and are much loved by the community, as shown in the City of Melbourne’s Urban Forest research. When redesigning the spaces around the market, it is essential that the value of exotic trees to the community be considered, in order to retain the existing character of the area alongside working to better the native urban forest of the region.
existing train station
future train station
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The planting design for this area will be guided by the values as defined in the CoM’s Urban Forest Precinct Plan (North and West Melbourne) Desired future states defined by the community • Shady, layered, connected, diverse, aesthetically pleasing • Social, immersive and peaceful, providing relief from heat • Native trees and native bird and insect attracting Monday 9am • Healthy, appropriate tree selection and water sustainable • Enhancement of local neighbourhood character and maintenance of heritage character and boulevards
BICYCLE
Urban forest benefits highlighted through community consultation • Shade • Biodiversity • Social cohesion • Connection with nature • Aesthetic beauty and screening • Psychological benefits, such as a sense of calm and a soothing environment.
bicycle lane
Tuesday 9am
Wednesday 7pm
Saturday 12
Intensities Sienna Zhan
/framework The Queen Victoria Market remains one of Melbourne’s few existing heritage sites that connects our residents to an authentic expression of the city’s early urban history. In a rapidly densifying and evolving CBD, the open spaces around the market provide an invaluable opportunity for designers to maximise the potential of the region and transform the space into a dynamic and interactive inner-city node for the community of the future, drawing from the existing life and culture of the hugely successful QVM.
This 2040 Future Framework acknowledges the need to respond immediately to the predicted demands and tensions of the space due to population densification and climate change, and seeks to provide a design that can serve as a resilient public open space well into the future. In order to achieve this, the carpark will be transformed into an open green space that will enhance connectivity and work to foster community, culture, and a greater connection to natural processes.
A BIOPHILIC CITY LAND AND WATER
CONNECTIVITY
• Extend existing green corridors • Improve urban environmental resilience in response to Climate Change • Provide more recreational space for an increasingly densifying city
• Improved pedestrian and cycling accessibility between the QVM and the Flagstaff Gardens • Transitioning to a 5km/h city • Allowing for accessibility for users of all abilities
• Provide spaces and facilities for community activity and not-for-profit initiatives • Foster a stronger connection between residents and civic processes, inspired by prcedents such as the State Library and Federation Square. • Continue to encourage the link between the market and the arts
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The design will be informed by the City of Melbourne’s ‘Urban Forest Strategy’ and draws particularly from their ‘Citzen Forester’ Program.
COMMUNITY MARKET, ARTS, COUNCIL
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The 5km/h City The human scale of the QVM, built in a time before the automobile boom, allows for intimate encounters and a close sensory experience to the processes of the market.
/framework
City of Melbourne’s ‘Urban Forest Strategy’:
With walking and cycling within the City of Melbourne on the rise, I plan to design connectivity that supports these commuting methods. Paths of a smaller width, and increased routes and options allows for the human occupant to interact with the QVM and its surrounds through a personalised and sensory experience.
Proposed green space addition
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Proposed network link
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Proposed gathering spaces
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This project utilised an abandoned site in Bangkok in order to create a reforested space for leisure, education, and ecology. The physical conditions under which this project was undertaken (eg. unsuitable soils) are similar to the restrictions of the QVM, but proves that a greatly successful outcome is obtainable. By revegetating with indigenous species, the Metro-Forest Project and boardwalk is able to educate city dwellers on environmental systems and create a greater sense of value for natural spaces.
Nature Play at Royal Park CoM - City Design Studio
The Metro-Forest Project
CERES is one of Melbourne’s most loved community centres, as it has been able to create an affective prototype for urban farming and permaculture. It is able to do this so successfully through volunteer power, facilitated through events and workshops in its community halls. By incorporating the park into these buildings and user facilties, it becomes more than simply a space to grow vegetables. CERES is thus able to function as a place for community engagement and networking, as well as empowering individuals to be able to embark on their own urbanfarming initiatives. In a similar way, the QVM environment park will use this model to encourage stewardship and protection of native forests. The warehouses on the southern boundary of the site will be retrofitted into a Community Environment Hub, that will provide spaces for education and park management, facilitated by council for residents and visitors. The management of the park will thus come from the community, in order to empower individuals into a greater understanding of natural processes.
Fed Square forms the heart of Melbourne’s CBD and acts as an auditiorium of enormous potential, as well as facilitating events and encounters of medium to small scales. It is this design trait which has been essential in informing the design of the QVM Community Environment Park. Spaces that open for large events, but that also provide for intimate encounters, form a key aspect of my design. Fed Square also provides a precedent for how indoor and outdoor facilities may be incorporated into one harmonious and functioning civic space. QVM Placemaking
/precedents
Federation Square
Sunset Series Fitzroy Gardens
CERES Environment Park
Tree Canopy Walk Mark Thomas Architects
Whilst it may seem daunting to attempt to create a place of wilderness within the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, this project provides an excellent precedent on how that may be done.
/design development
Model 1:500 In collaboration with Dominik Maschek The model making process for this project gave me a much deeper understanding of the relationship between the design and its surrounding context. Having designed in isolation of the context, the model of the proposed structure did not fit sensitively within the site. I was able to see the irregularities in scale and the lack of attention payed to the edges and thresholds between the new and existing spaces. With a deeper understanding of the site in 3D form, I was able to move back to 2D drawing and pay greater attention to the relationship between the edges of the site and adjust my geometries to allow for maximal user activity.
queen victoria market community environment park The QVM Community Environment Park aims to harness the intensification of activity within both the Market and the Flagstaff Gardens, and provide a stronger visual and physical connection between each space in order to maximise visitor flow between the sites. A canopy boardwalk, that doubles as a bridge between the Flagstaff Gardens and the QVM Environment Park, will form the heart of this connection. It is these moments of movement throughout the site that will enhance the sense of a journey, and encourage visitors to interact with the landscape with a sentiment of exploration and curiosity.
Journey
Natural Processes
/design intent
residents
An experience within nature that encourages a greater understanding of natural processes
Stewardship
Connectivity Individualised movement
Baring witness to nature and time Temporality
workers
An area of play for children of all ages
creatives
‘a city in a forest, not a forest in a city’
Empowering the individual Community involvement Generating culture
tourists
families
An ampitheatre which will function for both large-scale and intimate events
Recreational gathering spaces with opportunities for both planned and spontaneous activation
1:500 Site Plan
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environment hub
arts hub
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The much-loved character of the market will be preserved, and inviting outdoor spaces create a harmonious flow between the edges of the site, allowing for a continuation of activity between the sheds and the environment park.
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An arts hub will provide much needed non-for-profit shared spaces for the rapidly growing community. As urbanisation rises, more families will be living in this region and will require spaces to spaces to occupy children and form connections with other locals.
This also provides opportunity for pop-up events and markets that occur in conjunction with the QVM, utilising the visitor activity of this famous attraction.
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sunset and flagstaff vantage point
treetop boardwalk market sheds paved multi-use recreation area
lake and stormwater processing
bike path connection pedestrian bridge and boardwalk playground
Retrofitted warehouses provide spaces to facilite Citizen Forester programs and community environment education and engagement, similar to the precedent set by CERES.
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/key Exotic street trees canopy and neighbourhood character priority Native vegetation seasonal floral and foliage interest Indigenous reforestation habitat and education Aquatic plants and wetland species habitat and water managment Lawn recreation Example of plants that may be used in reforestation and native vegetation zones* *information and images taken from the ‘Gardening with Native Plants in Yarra’ guide. Published by the City of Yarra, 2001.
grasses and groundcovers
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shrubs
trees
/drawings
* *City of Yarra: Gardening with Native Plants
sections/elevations
East Elevation
West Elevation
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