Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation: Laak Boorndap Urban Garden by Hassell

Laak Boorndap, an immersive landscape planted entirely on an elevated deck will help to reshape Australia’s Melbourne Arts Precinct with one of the most richly layered planting designs of any public garden in the world.

Title:: Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation: Laak Boorndap Urban Garden
Architect:: Hassell
Category:: Commercial/; Unbuilt Commercial
Photographers:: Hassell

Designed by Hassell in partnership with New York’s SO-IL, world-renowned horticulturalists Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough, and plant expert Jac Semmler from Melbourne company Super Bloom, Laak Boorndap (pronounced Lark — Born — Darp) forms part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project.

An 18,000-square-metre, biodiverse garden, the new public space will link the venues across the precinct and support community well-being and connection. It will wrap around the new The Fox: NGV Contemporary, NGV International, Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall and Theatres Building (under the Spire), along with adjacent The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre.

Laak Boorndap — a Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung name bestowed on the garden by Traditional Owner, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, Aunty Gail Smith — is unique in the world in its scale, planting density and climate resiliency.

Laak Boorndap will be a new type of public space for Melbourne – a place for people to be immersed in nature and to connect with each other, art and performance.

Designed to foster biodiversity, the highly dynamic, multi-layered garden will add vital natural space to the heart of one of Australia’s most densely populated urban areas.

An ever-changing landscape, Laak Boorndap will be made up of a diverse mix of local Victorian, Australian and international plant species, marking a bold and unique approach to naturalistic planting that focuses on climate resilience.

ENHANCING COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Built over Sturt Street between City Road and the back-of-house facilities for the NGV and Arts Centre Melbourne, the garden will feature a vibrant array of sculptures, installations and creative activities. Visitors can expect a dynamic space offering a blend of culture and nature in the city’s heart.

Laak Boorndap and its new amenities promise to revitalise the area, benefiting visitors, residents, businesses, and the numerous arts organisations that call the broader Melbourne Arts Precinct home.

Works on the new urban garden are scheduled to start in 2026, and the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project is expected to be completed in 2028.

Project Gallery

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We’re creating a clearly identifiable, distinctly new Australian urban landscape that’s layered and varied, changing not just with the seasons but also from week to week.

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Professionals used

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Hassell

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hassellstudio.com

Hassell. Our purpose is to design the world’s best places – places people love.Globalisation, climate change, urbanisation, and digitisation present new opportunities and challenges for how we live.In this fast-changing context, we bring together the best designers and thinkers in a unique collaborative process that results in both beautiful design and measurable value.We work across architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and urban design - a rich multi-disciplinary mix of skills and perspectives that unlocks the economic, social and cultural value of projects.We combine our creative design expertise with capabilities in strategy, research, technology and experience design, and we regularly collaborate with experts and partners from further afield.Through our work, we’re trying to build a more inclusive, sustainable future for communities - and create a more socially and ecologically resilient world.Our clients look to us for more than our design skills. They want us to help them unlock value for their business and their end users – and find ways to better connect people.