Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Architect: BVN.

The Royal Women’s Hospital site in Melbourne is being repurposed as an Innovation Precinct, anchored by the University of Melbourne. The precinct will bring together industry, researchers, government, and the community to collaborate on developing innovative solutions to major societal challenges. The adaptive reuse of the hospital building incorporates leading sustainability initiatives, including an agile façade system that optimizes visual transparency and performance. New building systems will support agile and flexible spaces, and new public spaces and linkages will enable the precinct to continue to evolve and support additional industries in the innovation ecosystem. The existing building will be stripped back to its superstructure, voids, and a structural tube will be inserted to deal with the limitations of the existing structure and to vertically connect the innovation community. The facade will be fully replaced for environmental performance and to provide a revitalized image to the building. The aim is to achieve a 6 Star Greenstar commercial office rating and a Greenstar Communities rating. The precinct will incorporate sensing to assist with building performance and data capture, and a geo-thermal plant will be included as part of a UoM Engineering research trial. The goal is to create an environment where great minds from different disciplines can collaborate to turn big ideas into pioneering products or services, particularly in relation to changing technologies, sustainability, and resilience.