Arts Centre Melbourne transformation project completes first stage

The Arts Centre Melbourne transformation project has completed its first stage, delivering a new public plaza connecting the Hamer Hall forecourt to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, improved accessibility across all buildings in the precinct, and a comprehensive renovation of the backstage facilities at the Theatres Building.

The first stage of the $245 million transformation is the most significant physical change to the precinct since the Theatres Building spire and Hamer Hall were first built in the 1970s and 1980s respectively. The new outdoor plaza replaces an underutilised service road and creates a continuous public promenade from St Kilda Road to the river's edge, designed by landscape architects TCL with input from Ngargee Djerring Aboriginal Consultation.

Arts Centre Melbourne chief executive Claire Spencer said the transformation made the precinct more welcoming for visitors who had historically found the buildings difficult to navigate and disconnected from the Yarra riverbank. "Millions of people have never set foot inside Arts Centre Melbourne despite passing it every day. This makes the precinct more legible and more inviting," she said.

The backstage renovation, invisible to audiences, is expected to attract larger-scale international productions that had previously bypassed Melbourne due to inadequate loading dock access and staging infrastructure. The production team that recently toured Hamilton confirmed the upgrade would make future Australian productions of comparable scale significantly more viable at the venue.

Stage two of the transformation, covering the spire building's public foyers and the connection to the Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square, is expected to begin next year.

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