Places Victoria
Lonsdale Street Dandenong Revitalisation
Lonsdale Street is the historic heart of Dandenong. In the 1800’s it marked the distance between Dandenong’s two pubs, and its unusual wideness was determined by the turning circle of a bullock train.
But, bit by bit, Lonsdale Street lost its glory and purpose. It became a major arterial that split the retail heart and created a significant physical and psychological barrier in the middle of Dandenong.
Our task was to bring Dandenong back together. To do this, we needed tounderstand in detail who Dandenong was, and what its people would like.
Learning about a diverse place
Places Victoria undertook a study and we supplemented it with exhaustive mappings and masterplanning. The purpose wa sensuring the urban design would be transformational, yet built on Dandenong’s particular cultural and spatial qualities.
We mapped Dandenong’sarchitectural and physical characteristics, plus ethnicities of the local businesses, many of them Asian, African and Middle Eastern.We also identified places of character such as the Drum Theatre, which occupies Dandenong’s heritage former town hall on Lonsdale Street.
We found opportunities to retain and celebrate existing cultural destinations and create new opportunities for urban places and activities.
We also stitched together key civic nodes along Lonsdale Street such as the Dandenong Civic Centre (including a public library) and the redeveloped Drum Theatre.
Along Lonsdale Street’s retail frontages, there are now broad tree-lined plazas, shared traffic zones and gardens that create a pedestrian realm of generosity and distinction.
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Selected Awards
2013 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards, Winner Melbourne Prize
2013 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards, Winner Urban Design
2013 PIA Australia Award for Urban Design, Commendation
2012 AILA Awards, Excellence Award for Design in Landscape Architecture
2012 AILA Awards, Urban Design Awards