instant city The QV project is a new urban village for Melbourne, occupying an entire city block in the heart of the city. The urban strategy for the project is to create a precinct responsive to Melbourne’s 19th century history, while celebrating the life of the city through contemporary architecture and design. The concept uses the model of Melbourne’s lanes as the generator of the urban form, dividing the site into a number of discrete pedestrian precincts; a city within a city.
Fronting Swanston Street and adjoining the State Library, the project is also negotiating a course between the demands of shop front, retail architecture and the civic responsibilities of public architecture. A further challenge for the project is to simulate the richness and diversity of the city, (created over more than one hundred years of accumulated history), in a single, purpose built complex. It represents a complete rethink of the shopping center-department store as a single, internalised big box.
how do you create an instant city?
how do you create urban diversity?
russell street
swanston street
how do you compress 100 yearsof history into asingle stage development?
lonsdale street
public space
NO
NO
NO
megacentres
private malls
theming
mixed city
NO
NO
internalisation
big boxes
shopping box
Melbourne
growth of melbourne
Cities evolve through complex forces and over long periods of time. They are also the embodiment of a social vision. Melbourne is no exception. The origins of Melbourne’s plan lay in the belief in science. The tools of the mapmaker and the calculations of the surveyor allowed the 19th century colonial powers to stamp their authority on the local landscape. Robert Hoddle, the chief government surveyor, imposed the discipline of a grid pattern on the new settlement of Melbourne with autocratic confidence. From this beginning the city of Melbourne has developed an urban pattern and subdivision governed by the order of the street. The typological outcome for Melbourne is a hierarchy of streets from the prominent main thoroughfares to series of minor lanes and arcades. It is this laneway system, which is the activity space for the city. They are the places to meet, to talk and to connect.
1880
1955
the 19th century the lanes & arcades of Melbourne
typology of the lane
1890
2002
lane culture
building envelope zone (projections, balconies, bridges)
high level image zone (windows, graphics)
animated graphics zones (blade signs, awnings)
facts & figures
civic & retail frontage n nsto swa et
stre
melbourne central unfolded QV frontage compared to city
1.7km t
da s n lo
l
ree t s e
reet t s be
latro
comparative length of frontage melbourne central = 500m
QV = 1700m
mixed program boutique unique remarkable iconic independent
national & international brands chain stores volume retailers
supermarket discount department store major store
59000 sqm of office space 45000 sqm of retail 594 residential apartments 2000 car spaces 1000 sqm of public square 2000 sqm of open laneways 50 levels of floor space
retail & shopping art & design product wider melbourne shopper market
cbd residents homewares
cbd workers food & beverage lifestyle retail student market
public amenities
drinking fountain
public toilets bicycle racks
letterboxes
public telephones
studio workshop
working method
The QV project represents a new working method for architects and urban designers - an experiment, a workshop, whereby individual architects propose and develop ideas for specific components of the project while working together under a single studio model. This process also demonstrates the commitment of Daniel Grollo and his team to encourage and support a new generation of young Melbourne architects. The Participants NHArchitecture are the principle architects for the QV project, which includes five levels of retail over an entire city block. In addition to the retail podium, NHArchitecture are in joint venture with other specialist architects over a diverse range of components, which include: John Wardle (John Wardle Architects Pty Ltd), with NHArchitecture, for the 40 level residential tower. Rob McBride (McBride Charles Ryan), with NHArchitecture, for the low- rise residential building. Kerstin Thompson (Kerstin Thompson Architects), with NHArchitecture, for the above ground carpark.
Rob McBride/NHArchitecture
John Wardle/NHArchitecture NHArchitecure Master Architects
Lyons DCM
Kerstin Thompson/NHArchitectre
the project
rmit
state library
swanston street
lonsdale street
streetscape
the public realm
the new laneway
central square
the lanes
Albert Coates Lanes
Albert Coates Lane
Albert Coates Lane
Shilling Lane
Albert Coates Lane
the urban market
QV Foodhall
QV Foodhall
swanston street
lt lonsdale street
QV square
architectural awards NHArchitecture Architectural Awards include; RAIA Architectural Award – The Melbourne Prize 2005 QV Project RAIA Architectural Award - Multiple Residential Design QV2 Residential Apartment (in joint venture with McBride Charles Ryan) RAIA Architectural Award – Urban Design 2004 QV Project Australian Award for Urban Design Urban development 2004 QV Project
media
2005\Commercial Design Trends Vol 21 No 4\Cosmopolitan Queen\p.70
2005\Commercial Design Trends Vol 21 No 4\Cosmopolitan Queen\p.71
2005\Commercial Design Trends Vol 21 No 4\Cosmopolitan Queen\p.72
2005\Commercial Design Trends Vol 21 No 4\Cosmopolitan Queen\p.73
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.62
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.63
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.64
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.65
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.66
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.67
2005\Monument Feb March 2005\QV Rebirth of Retail Article p.68
2004\The Age A3 19th May 2004\Cover Page
2004\The Age A3 19th May 2004\p.4
2004\The Age A3 19th May 2004\p.5
2004\Architect Victoria Awards 2004\Architect Awards - Urban Design\ p.40
2004\Architect Victoria Awards 2004\Architect Awards - Urban Design \p.41
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar\p.cover
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar \p.054
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar \p.055
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar\ p.056
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar \p.057
2003\ar summer\Edition 085\ar\p.058
2003\Men’s Style Summer 03 04 Issue2\Men’s Style\p.160
2003\Men’s Style Summer 03 04 Issue2\Men’s Style\p.161
2003\Men’s Style Summer 03 04 Issue2\Men’s Style\p.162
2003\Financial Review Magazine Nov 2003\Financial Review \p.62
2003\Financial Review Magazine Nov 2003\Financial Review \p.63
Clients Grocon 20 – 30 Chifley Drive Preston 3072 QVPL 123 Lonsdale Street Melbourne 3000 Basement, Retail Podium & Public Space Architects - NHArchiecture QV1 Residential Architects in Association QV2 Residential Architects in Association QV Carpark Architects in Association -
John Wardle Architects Pty Ltd NHArchitecure McBride Charles Ryan Architecture + Interior Design NHArchitecure Kerstin Thompson Architects NHArchitecure
QV Andersen Architects - DCM QVBHPBilliton Architects - Lyons
contact Level 7 Cannons House 12-20 Flinders Lane Melbourne Australia 3000 P F
61 3 9654 4955 61 3 9654 4938 roger.nelson@nharch.net lyndon.hayward@nharch.net www.nharchitecture.net