Redesigning a vintage stormwater drain for safety, renewal, and beauty

At a Glance

  • 66

    Metre Structure Demolished

  • 24

    Metre Structure Rehabilitated

  • 8

    Design Options

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Offices
Client
Partners
  • Arup
  • Human Habitats
  • Urbis
Awards
Infrastructure Project Innovation Award, AWA VIC Water Awards 2022 (joint winner)

Shakespeare Grove Main Drain Renewal

The Shakespeare Grove main drain outlet on St Kilda Beach conveys stormwater from the Port Phillip area into the Bay. The outlet's structure was in poor condition and fenced off from pedestrians. Melbourne Water engaged us to complete the functional design for its renewal, creating an exciting opportunity to balance designing a stormwater drain with recreating and beautifying a destination point.

We developed five civil and three architectural design options. To help us determine the two preferred designs we facilitated multi-criteria analysis workshops with community groups and engaged stakeholders, conducted in-depth consultation with statutory authorities, and incorporated general community feedback. We identified several safety considerations and incorporated into the final design, and Life Saving Victoria did a public safety risk assessment.

Our specialists and partners together delivered a functional design that challenged the status quo of stormwater projects while sympathising with the urban coastal landscape and merging technical outcomes with tourist engagement.

At a Glance

  • 66

    Metre Structure Demolished

  • 24

    Metre Structure Rehabilitated

  • 8

    Design Options

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Offices
Client
Partners
  • Arup
  • Human Habitats
  • Urbis
Awards
Infrastructure Project Innovation Award, AWA VIC Water Awards 2022 (joint winner)

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