The Abbotsford Convent Foundation has appointed Hassell to lead a masterplan for the protection and enhancement of the historic convent precinct that sits within a bend of the Birrarung (Yarra River) in Melbourne’s north-east.
Hassell was selected through a competitive tender process as lead consultant, and will prepare a masterplan that will shape the precinct’s management over the next decade and beyond. The foundation secured funding through the federal government’s Australian Heritage Grants program and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to update the masterplan, which was last updated in 2005.
“An updated masterplan will provide a comprehensive, integrated vision for the convent’s future,” said foundation chair Victoria Marles. “As we reimagine the world we will live in through and post the pandemic, there has perhaps never been a more vital time to undertake this strategic visioning. I am thrilled that Hassell will be leading this project, bringing together the best designers and thinkers in a unique, collaborative process that will have a lasting impact on the precinct for years to come.”
Occupied by one of the largest convents in Victoria through the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, the site is today an arts, education and cultural hub. It was added to the national heritage list in 2017 for its historic and architectural significance.
“Our purpose is to design places people love. Places that facilitate connections, between people as well as between people and the ecosystems, cultures and histories we live in,” said Hassell principal Ben Duckworth. “The Convent is a much-loved place that does exactly that – it represents the qualities that make a city a worthy place to live in: a place of genuine exchange between people, through personal interactions and expressions of culture. We see a rich variety of opportunities to amplify and expand these qualities even further.”
Hassell will begin work on the Abbotsford Convent precinct masterplan in November 2020, with the project to be completed by October 2021.
