A new hub in Melbourne’s Fishermans Bend will bring together innovators and creative practitioners to showcase new approaches to design that reduce waste, rethink materials and create value through regeneration rather than depletion.
As Australia’s largest urban renewal project takes shape in Melbourne, a new independent not for profit organisation FB IDEAs (Fishermans Bend Innovation, Diversity, Experimentation and Activation) has been established to activate the area during the transformation and to ensure creativity and innovation are central to the vision for the future precinct.
By 2050, Fishermans Bend is expected to be home to approximately 80,000 residents, provide employment for up to 80,000 people and cater to over 20,000 students through a new University of Melbourne campus for Design and Engineering. This transformation is guided by the Fishermans Bend Framework, a plan for parks, schools, roads, transport, and community facilities and services to ensure liveability as the precinct grows over the next 30 years.
FB IDEAs has partnered with property developers Gamuda Land Australia to launch the Fishermans Bend Circular Design Collective – a temporary hub for creative workers and collectives on the site of a future low carbon residential development.
The hub is supporting and showcasing a group of ‘Innovators in Residence’ – a mix of Victorian startups, designers and creative practitioners working on circular economy initiatives.
The Innovators in Residence have been selected to deliver a range of public facing outcomes at the site, and include:
- [RE]Maker, No Bull Cause and After who are reusing textile waste in innovative ways;
- Lousy Ink and Dodgy Paper, who are repurposing ink from discarded printer cartridges and recycling paper offcuts to make sustainable artist supplies;
- Precious Plastic Melbourne who provide equipment and training to support a circular future, free from plastic waste; and
- PowerMOVE – a collaborative project between Quiet RIOT and Additive Lighting who are working on a kinetic dancefloor which will harness human energy and help make events more sustainable.
Supported by a $2.5 million grant from the Victorian Government, FB IDEAs are supporting a range of activities to promote incremental and experimental urban renewal and activation during the transformation of Fishermans Bend. This includes a regular program of public and industry events, showcasing innovative design solutions and upcycling to create products and services that are circular by nature.
To find out more about the Fishermans Bend Circular Design Collective project and the Innovators in Residence visit https://www.fbideas.org/fb-circular-design-collective.