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The refurbishment of the Goods Shed North, in Melbourne’s Docklands, presented an incredible opportunity to renew an integral part of the city’s history.
According to Ninotschka Titchkosky, Principal of BVN
Architecture who designed the interiors, the heritage-listed
railway goods shed also presented a very special challenge.
“It was the authenticity of the Goods Shed that created
a really unique feeling,” says Titchkosky, “one that you could
never capture in an entirely new workplace building.”
Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden was an early and
enthusiastic supporter of the project.
“The refurbishment of the Goods Shed North will raise
the bar in environmental design by creating an economically
feasible sustainable design, incorporating state-of-the-art
office accommodation in an historic building,” he said.
Years of neglect
One of the few heritage buildings left in Docklands, the Goods
Shed was originally built in 1889 at the centre of the Melbourne
Goods Yards. It was derelict for over 30 years and became
redundant in the 1980s, later being bisected by the Collins
Street extension which created the North and South side.
The Goods Shed North’s transformation into a vibrant
workplace shows what is possible when adaptive reuse
The historic clerestory windows flood the building with light.
