The Younghusband Woolstore redevelopment is an adaptive reuse project in Melbourne, Australia that applies a “light touch” methodology to transform more than 17,000 square metres of underused industrial space into a mixed-use precinct. Designed by Woods Bagot, the scheme reworks an existing industrial landscape while retaining much of its original character.
Site and historical context
The 1.57-hectare site, located in Kensington in Melbourne’s inner west, includes a 122-year-old red-brick woolstore alongside a network of early-twentieth-century industrial buildings. The first woolstore was commissioned in 1901 by wool seller R Goldsberg Row and Co. The site was later acquired by broker Younghusband and Co, which operated it until 1970.
In 2022, the site was acquired for redevelopment by a joint venture between Built, Ivanhoe Cambridge, and Irongate. The first stage focused on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the two central woolstores, now configured as 17,560 square metres of retail and commercial office space.
Architectural character and reuse
The existing buildings retain key features of Victorian industrial architecture, including red-brick facades, decommissioned bail elevators and wool pulleys, original ghost signage, steel-framed windows, and a saw-tooth roof profile (originally installed to enable merchants to examine the quality of the wool in natural light). Deep floorplates and the material patina of the structures remain evident, alongside traces of their former use.
Over time, the woolstore has accommodated a range of activities, including use by the Australian Ballet as a costume store and by smaller artistic enterprises as studio space. It remains one of the few surviving examples of its type in Victoria.
Design approach and interventions
Since 2016, Woods Bagot has undertaken ongoing consultation with the local community as part of the building’s renewal and restoration, maintaining a connection between the site’s past use and its evolving role within the area.
For the architects, the project is shaped by restraint, with an emphasis on retaining the building’s existing fabric, including its scars and patina. The adaptive reuse extends beyond the primary woolstores to include structures that might otherwise have been overlooked, allowing the broader site history to remain legible.
Key interventions focus on improving liveability, access, and usability while working within the constraints of the existing buildings. Bringing the site into compliance with contemporary standards — including fire safety, accessibility, and structural performance — required careful coordination to avoid compromising its material character.
New insertions are conceived as contemporary elements that sit alongside the retained fabric without replicating it. Glass lifts and external link bridges are introduced to improve circulation, including connections across the bluestone laneway. The original bluestone cobbles have been lifted, reworked, and reinstated to provide a more even surface, improving access for wheelchairs, prams, bicycles, and other forms of movement.
Public realm and connectivity
The project introduces a network of public spaces and connections across the site, with an emphasis on permeability and shared use. Multiple entry points establish links between surrounding streets and internal routes, supporting movement through the precinct.
At the centre of the scheme is a town square, positioned as a gathering space within the existing structure. Designed with stepped seating and access to natural light, it provides a setting for informal use and larger events. This space connects to an activated rail corridor, now reworked as a landscaped pedestrian and cycle route, extending the site’s role within the wider urban network.
Circularity and material reuse
The project adopts a circular approach to construction, retaining existing materials wherever possible and limiting new interventions to those required for performance and use. Upgrades to the roof, windows, and entrances improve thermal performance while maintaining the built fabric.
Materials removed during refurbishment are redeployed within the project. Douglas fir timber beams, for example, have been salvaged and reused as handrail ledges in public areas and link bridges. Timber from the site has been de-nailed, planed, and reworked by local makers, including Melbourne-based The Timber Trip, before being reintegrated into the building.
Environmental performance
Material retention and reuse have contributed to an 84 percent reduction in embodied carbon compared to similar reference buildings. The building is equipped with a rooftop photovoltaic array and battery storage to support its electrical demand. Energy-efficient systems and fittings contribute to a reduction in energy use and the precinct is described as carbon neutral in operation.
Water management is addressed through a 50,000-litre rainwater storage tank used for landscape irrigation and WC flushing.
Younghusband has achieved a 6-star Green Star rating in Building Design & Construction, 5.5-star NABERS Office Energy rating, and 4.5-star NABERS Water rating.
Legacy and future use
The redevelopment repositions a former industrial site as a mixed-use precinct, maintaining its historical fabric and supporting new forms of occupation. The retained woolstore buildings continue to reflect their original character while accommodating contemporary use and contributing to Melbourne’s cultural identity.
The project demonstrates an approach to adaptive reuse that balances material retention with performance upgrades, offering a model for the ongoing use of heritage structures within an evolving urban context.
