Location \ Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, Australia
Client \ City of Greater Dandenong & Lyons Architects
Budget \ $2.5M landscape, $50M overall

The site for the Municipal Building and civic square was chosen to form a critical hinge or linking device between the Lonsdale Street ‘terrace’ – Dandenong’s main street – and the spine of shared pedestrian spaces leading to Dandenong Railway Station. RWA worked in conjunction with Lyons Architects and Material Thinking.

This civic ensemble holds at its centre a new public square, an exciting meeting place to be used day to day, or for large scale urban events. The square forms a place of exchange between the street and council building, bridging the substantial level changes and inviting a direct connection between these two public realms. The civic square has become a destination, a forum and social hub for Council and library staff, public visitors and workers from the adjacent commercial precinct and state government offices.

RWA worked in conjunction with Lyons Architects and Material Thinking (Paul Carter) to develop a Creative Place Making Strategy which integrated environmental graphics into the civic square design. Colours, forms, plant selection and materials were inspired by the highly cosmopolitan community of Dandenong.

Image above by Peter Bennetts. Images below by Michael Wright, Peter Bennetts and Chris Erskine.

Recipient of the following prestigious awards
2016 PIA National Awards for planning excellence Commendation – Great Place
2015 PIA National Award for planning excellence – Great Place
2015 Think Brick Australia: Bruce Mackenzie Landscape Award Finalist.
2015 PIA Australian Award for Urban Design Commendation – Delivered Outcome Large Scale
2014 AILA Victorian Excellence Award for Landscape – Design
2015 Architecture Award for Public Architecture (new)

“I want to thank you for your dedication on this project, working with you has been a real pleasure. The Civic Space is an absolute jewel. You should be extremely proud of the result and I look forward to attending a moonlight cinema in the near future. The effect on the community this project has had already, and will have in the future, cannot be underestimated. This will be a catalyst for the real revitalisation of Central Dandenong”. Darren Rogers Project Manager.