The design blends the old with the new. Buchan’s design for the retail and entertainment component combines heritage buildings with thoughtful, contemporary design. The goal is to invigorate an important historical asset to create a shopping centre and community piazza featuring a retail and laneway dining precinct and represent the scale and character of the well-known prison.
The sustainable and adaptive reuse of ‘A’ Division uses form and materiality as a tribute to the old Pentridge. This will preserve its historic integrity, including the famous towering blue stone walls, and give its sombre past a contemporary revival as an arts-based community centre.
The project is expected to provide a boost to Melbourne’s local tourism industry, with the development expected to draw visitors intrigued by Melbourne’s penal heritage.
