World Architecture Festival Win for Creative Reuse

26 November 2025

By OCULUS

A young vine with purple flowers growing out of rocky ground in front of blurry train tracks.

Images: Shuai Li and David Wyld.

Younghusband on Wurundjeri Country in Melbourne, has won the Creative Re-use category at the 2025 World Architecture Festival, an annual gathering for the global architecture community. 

OCULUS worked alongside architects Woods Bagot in the conversion of over 17,000 square metres of underutilised industrial landscape into a vibrant, mixed-use community precinct. 

The jury commended the design team on their integration of public space into the site, opening up a local heritage landmark to the community through porous insertions and a dynamic, activated ground plane.  

The streetscape concepts and sustainability efforts within the precinct were also noted. Our work softens the industrial character with planting and preserves heritage, materiality, and resources with the re-use of iconic Melbourne bluestone paving. 

Woods Bagot Design Director Peter Miglis says "Younghusband provides a deep social, environmental, and urban impact through a meaningful adaptive-reuse framework, celebrating the past and ensuring its ongoing relevance into the future. It's great to see projects like these that are creatively reusing existing structures celebrated on a world stage."  

See all winning projects here

A photo of a restored heritage laneway with a pop up market and greenery growing on pedestrian bridges above.

Latest

National Gallery of Australia Sculpture Garden Design Competition

A photo of ten smiling people holding three framed certificates and three trophies. One is giving a thumbs up.

03 Feb 2026 — Triple win for Seafarers

A digital render of a waterfront park filled with trees and people. The park is under a large concrete bridge, and a boat shed with ramp is visible.

27 Jan 2026 — New waterfront park sets ambitious goal for Women in Construction

A visualisation of an interactive water's edge with sandstone steps, alongside large trees, and large buildings in the background.

20 Jan 2026 — Renewing the old Sydney Fish Market site

A photo of people socialising in a laneway-like space between two buildings under the shade of trees and umbrellas.

29 Oct 2025 — Victorian Premier’s Design Awards: Triple Finalist

A horizontal cover with a green and blue landscape image reading "Nature Design Guide"

15 Oct 2025 — Nature Design Guide

An aerial photograph of a handful of people walking around a park with paved paths, lawn area, and Australian native plants.

30 Oct 2025 — The Oval at Subi East wins two AILA National Awards

A young vine with purple flowers growing out of rocky ground in front of blurry train tracks.

26 Nov 2025 — World Architecture Festival Win for Creative Reuse

A mock up of a document with dark green covers reading "Woody Meadow Guidelines: Naturalistic plantings of Australian woody plants for people and nature." There are flower graphics on the cover, and the document sits on an isolated white background.

24 Nov 2025 — Guide to Growing a Woody Meadow