Creative West
Creative West
Client:
City of Maribyrnong
Location:
Melbourne, Victoria
Collaborators:
Public Realm Lab, GLAS
Contact Person:
Ruth Wilson
Architectus and Public Realm Lab, in collaboration with GLAS Landscape Architects, have developed a concept design for the City of Maribyrnong’s catalyst project, Creative West. The connected cultural precinct is designed to revitalise the heart of Footscray and strengthen creative opportunities in Melbourne’s west.
City of Maribyrnong’s vision for Creative West brings together a next‑generation library, a highly flexible performing arts venue, and a new town park to create one welcoming, inclusive civic destination.
Community input and insights
Creative West has been shaped through one of Council’s most extensive engagement processes to date.
Since early 2026, rich insights from Wurundjeri Elders along with more than 1,100 community responses and 19 focus groups have informed the design.
A 27‑member Community Voice Co‑design Group – representing people of different ages, cultures and creative practices – worked closely with the project team to test and refine key design ideas, from how members of the public arrive and feel safe to how indoor and outdoor spaces connect and adapt over time.
Design inspiration
The concept design by Architectus, Public Realm Lab, and GLAS Landscape Architects wholeheartedly embraces First Nations feedback and draws inspiration from the pre-colonial topography of the Maribyrnong River escarpment.
The built form has a strong silhouette, with a roofline that unfolds toward the town park, drawing natural light deep inside while creating a series of sheltered terraces and gathering places.
Stepping inside Creative West, visitors will arrive at a shared foyer that leads to both the library and the performing arts venue.
The flexible, three‑level library has a large, light‑filled reading room at its heart and offers places to read, work, create and collaborate.
Bookable rooms, maker spaces and digital facilities are located around the central volume, while a dedicated children’s level on the upper floor opens to an outdoor terrace overlooking the park.
Performing arts space
The performing arts venue has a theatre that seats 500 plus, with a stage that can extend out into the audience to dissolve the boundary between performers and audience.
Automated and adaptable, the venue will support everything from professional theatre and music performances to community productions.
A complementary studio space that has a window to Paisley Street provides room for rehearsals, lessons and more intimate shows, ensuring Creative West can host both emerging and established artists.
A town park and place to pause
Within the concept design, the town park offers its communal lawn as a place to pause, meet or watch the world go by while also providing an outdoor space for events and performances.
Along Paisley Street, native and climate‑adaptive plants offer shade, enhance biodiversity and help to create a safer, more welcoming outdoor space.
Funding and future steps
The design and planning phase of Creative West received $5 million from the Australian Government under the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program, with funding matched by the City of Maribyrnong.
At this stage, funding is committed for planning and design only, and Council is actively advocating for further investment to deliver the project.
Architectus and Public Realm Lab have led the design process for the City of Maribyrnong in collaboration with GLAS Landscape Architects and supported by an extensive consultant team, including Schuler Shook, LCI Consultants, TTW, Marshall Day Acoustics, McKenzie Group Consulting, Salus Design and Sundew Ecology.
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Client:
City of Maribyrnong
Location:
Melbourne, Victoria
Collaborators:
Public Realm Lab, GLAS
Contact Person:
Ruth Wilson
