International New Landscape Architecture (China)
no. 4, 07-08, 2009
pp. 78-89
University Hill was featured in issue 07/08 of International New Landscape, which is published in China.
Covering more than 100 hectares, University Hill offers a rare opportunity to establish a new, mixed-use urban village within 20 kilometres of Melbourne's CBD. The site is located within the established urban infrastructure of Bundoora; it lies alongside the dramatic Plenty Gorge and is positioned at the crossroads of Plenty Road and the Metropolitan Ring Road, giving it easy access to the rest of Melbourne.
The article notes that, "The design approach to University Hill melds the philosophy of a modern integrated mixed use development with the unique opportunities offered by the site."
The brief from MAB was to create a place for innovation, with a mix of commercial uses that would offer substantial opportunities for employment, the provision of a retail focus close to the main thoroughfare of Plenty Road, and the creation of a range of residential opportunities from apartments through to medium density and broad-acre sub-division.
The article also explains that, "The land has had a chequered history. Originally farmland, it was then used to house returned servicemen and more recently specialised in mental health care and rehabilitation. A number of original buildings remain in the centre of the site, but the rest of the area has long been given over to grazing. The topography ranges from generally flat to the west and south, to more dramatically undulating as it neared the incised and wooded valleys of the Plenty Gorge, located to the east and north. It is bounded to the west by Plenty Road and to south by the Metropolitan Ring Road – one of Melbourne's major freeways."
The result is a total of 150,000 sqm of commercial space that has been planned, with 29,500 sqm of retail and an entertainment precinct, along with 1,000 new homes. To date, 30,000 sqm of commercial space has been completed, with 8,000 sqm of retail space, giving employment opportunities for over 1,000 people. Under construction are: 132 apartments, the first two stages of the residential subdivision, 13,000 sqm of retail and 12,000 sqm of commercial, 5 hectares of wetland, together with a further 2 hectares of parkland.
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