This was the focus of a recent presentation by our Associate Director’s Tim Brooks and Bettina Robinson as part of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Member Lean In programme. Titled Delivering Circularity, Reuse and Regeneration in Practice, the session explored how regenerative thinking can be translated into practical project outcomes, drawing on lessons from our work with Master Builders Victoria and broader industry research into circular design and material reuse, including the pair’s Alastair Swayn International Research Grant.

Using the Master Builders Victoria workplace as a case study, Tim and Bettina shared how circular principles informed both the design and delivery process. Rather than starting with replacement, the project sought to identify opportunities to retain, adapt and reuse existing materials and assets wherever possible.

The result demonstrates how thoughtful design can extend the life of existing resources, reduce waste and create high-quality workplaces that respond to both environmental and organisational goals.

The discussion also addressed the realities of delivering regenerative outcomes. Circularity often requires navigating practical considerations including procurement pathways, contractor engagement, warranties, logistics and perceived risk. By sharing project insights, successes and challenges, the session highlighted the importance of collaboration across clients, consultants, suppliers and builders in achieving meaningful outcomes.

A key takeaway was that circularity is not a single intervention or specification choice, but rather a mindset that influences decisions throughout the project lifecycle. When embedded early and supported throughout delivery, circular thinking can become a practical and achievable part of everyday practice.

Hospitality and retail can be fickle, but it can also bring exactly the right kind of liveliness to a neighbourhood. From rapidly revitalising pockets of Cremorne to the desirable laneways of Brunswick, many of our multi-residential and commercial buildings have some of Melbourne’s favourite hospitality spots at the ground floor.

While we didn’t design the fitouts at these popular hospitality spots, our work is focused on the shells around them and the way the ground floor meets the street. Of course, a good ground floor is only possible with clients who understand the market, invest in finding the right operators, and hold out for tenants who suit the building and the neighbourhood.

At 65 Dover Street, Cremorne – a project with Fortis – Baker Bleu, Suupaa and the Adidas concept store integrate with the street, where people gather and spill out. Suupaa’s award-winning interior by IF Architecture sets the backdrop to this Japanese Konbini and casual dining spot, where workers come to grab a quick bite. To create a spot to eat, the footpath has been widened, and the brick podium is carved into a series of scallops, which turns what was a narrow frontage into a civic forecourt with space for seating and bikes. Lemon-scented gums grow straight out of the ground, softening the edge between building and footpath.

A short walk away at 22 Gordon Street, a corner is sliced away from the building edge, which doubles as a space just off the footpath to linger and sit, while also doubling as the building’s entry. First Love Coffee café is tucked beneath the podium, interfacing with the street through a top-hinged casement window. A north-facing, planted garden bed and seating area bring greenery to the street. Working with our client Monno, the nine-storey commercial building unlocks what was a tricky site and these ground level moves are key to the design.

Bringing old-world hospitality to life, also just a short walk away, is Frederic and Fred’s, found at the base of 9-11 Cremorne Street for Cobild. While the commercial tower above features a modern mesh façade, the ground level embraces the heritage. Here, the original brick building was retained, and restored, giving a grand entrance to the restaurant and bar while maintaining the industrial charm of its context.

Over in Brunswick is 1 Wilson Avenue, a project in collaboration with Milieu and Neometro. The eight-level multi-residential development features a rear laneway and street frontage. To optimise the north-facing light to the apartments, and create a zone for hospitality, we pulled the building back from the boundary. This outdoor terrace allows patrons from the much-loved Iris Bakery to overflow and gather.

Another project with Milieu is 2 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, which has Lagotto at the ground floor. The Italian restaurant and wine store has an interior designed by Flack Studio. Milieu truly understands the value of getting hospitality right and the whole concept of Lagotto is about neighbourliness and coming together over food. Integrated within the building, additional outdoor seating allows guests to enjoy an afternoon aperitivo catching the last rays of sun.

At one of our earlier projects, 122 Roseneath Street in Clifton Hill, the ground-floor retail was on our radar from the beginning, where generous setbacks at the base create an open undercover space to pass through and pause. Open House operates as a neighbourhood spot of conviviality. Serving coffee and food throughout the day, it transforms into a wine bar in the evening from Thursday to Saturday.

The grant is run by the Alastair Swayn Foundation and assessed competitively by an independent panel, supporting research that brings new knowledge and connections back to Australian architecture and design.

Tim and Bettina‘s proposal – Built from Here: Connecting Regional Resources to Low-Carbon Building Practice – is about mapping Victoria’s regional materials and manufacturing capacity. The project draws on international models to produce supply chain maps, material audits, and practical frameworks that can be used by Victorian practitioners working with local, low-carbon resources.

The research will trace the full chain that sits behind a building product: raw supply, aggregation, processing infrastructure, manufacturing systems, and the compliance pathways that decide whether a material reaches a site. Plenty of low-carbon and regenerative materials exist. Far fewer make it into projects as usable, compliant products.

Built from Here is about investigating where that chain breaks, and what it would take to close the gap locally in Victoria. The work is just getting underway. We’ll share more as the research develops.

The Alastair Swayn Foundation funds research that contributes to Australian architecture and design culture.

Tim joined the Melbourne launch of Adapt! Designing New Lives for Old Buildings, a sold-out evening discussing how to give old buildings a second life. He shared the panel with the book’s authors Hannah Lewi and Cameron Logan, alongside Kerstin Thompson, Robert Crawford and Suzanne Zahra, and Prof. Rory Hyde moderating.

Our cities hold an enormous amount of carbon in their existing fabric, so keeping that fabric is now a sustainability question as much as a heritage one. The panel didn’t avoid the hard parts – the cost, the compromises, the technical headaches – but it made a clear case for reuse over demolition.

Adapt! Designing New Lives for Old Buildings is available now, online and in store.

The second event was a walking tour with EmAGN, the Australian Institute of Architects’ Emerging Architects and Graduates Network. The route moved through Collingwood and a set of adaptive reuse and cultural projects, then finished with a panel discussion. Tim was among those presenting along the way and contributed to the conversation.

Collingwood Yards was the final destination, rounding out the tour, and a useful example of what reuse can give back to a neighbourhood.

Our thanks to EmAGN Vic and Uro Publications, and the NGV as the initiator of design week.