Lilydale and Mooroolbark Station Precincts
This pair of train stations in suburban Melbourne reveal the history of the surrounding area, while improving connectivity and opening generous new public spaces. Demarcating the border between Melbourne’s urban interior and its rural fringes, the projects’ materiality is inspired by the earthy tones of the surrounding landscape, complimenting the leafy, semi-rural character of the area. New forecourts, community spaces and transport nodes create localised place for rest and play for commuters and the local community.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country
- CLIENT South Eastern Program Alliance
- Location Melbourne, Australia
- Year 2018-2022
Like similar level-crossing removal projects across Melbourne, the new stations and rail viaducts in Mooroolbark and Lilydale create significant change in the fabric of the city and the community. Both projects elevated the rail above the main roads and created elevated stations, adding significant visual bulk on the streets. The key design driver was to minimise the sense of the scale of the built elements through careful spatial zoning, architectural expression, and the use of local materials.
A key outcome for the Lilydale Station precinct is the creation of a new trail head for the Warburton and Yarra Valley Rail Trails. Previously an underwhelming starting point lost at the back of a sea of carparking, the trail now extends through the station carpark beneath an avenue of oak trees, connecting it to the station and establishing a more prominent and legible starting point.
- TEAM BKK Architects, Kyriacou Architects Jacobs Engineering
- PHOTOGRAPHY Peter Bennetts
At Mooroolbark, a key design strategy was to integrate the station with its surrounds through the preservation of the location of the existing station entrance, despite the eastward relocation of the platform due to technical requirements. This move acknowledges the urban merits of the existing station entrance, which was highly visible and centrally located within the village.
The use of local materials define the project. Coldstream stone, prevalent throughout both suburbs, was used as a subtle reference to the work of Edna Walling, a pioneering Australian landscape architect who influenced the development of notable landscapes within the local area.
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