Younghusband, an ambitious adaptive re-use project on Wurundjeri Country in Melbourne, won a 2025 Good Design Award for Architectural Design.  

OCULUS worked with architects Woods Bagot, using a 'light touch' methodology, to convert over 17,000 square metres of underutilised industrial landscape into a vibrant, mixed-use community precinct. 

The design gives space to community through the creation of laneways and courtyards, creating important public site through links which invite the community to interact with the building and transverse through the site. Integral to our design approach was the creation of a ground floor that is resolutely public.  

We employed small interventions, selective greening, and bespoke details to create a range of spaces that support life on the site. The landscape reflects the functional layout of the adjacent trainlines and heritage building, while planting provided a touch of wildness at the edges. Our design preserves heritage, materiality, and resources with the re-use of bluestone paving, originally hand chiselled on site over 125 years ago, recut and re-laid for future generations. The restrained and robust planting palette incorporates swathes of native grasses, softening the industrial character with foliage that moves in the wind. 

Since 1958, the Australian Good Design Awards have honoured the people and projects driving innovation and setting new benchmarks for excellence in design and innovation. The program champions the power of design to create positive change. 

Congratulations to all award recipients, view other award-winning projects here.