Vision
In The Hanging Garden is a new cultural neighbourhood for nipaluna/Hobart.
The power of culture can never be overstated.
The roots of progress and possibility can all be traced to these creative forces of human nature, ingenuity and storytelling. These forces inspire change, enrich life and fuel ideas.
It is this power that sits at the heart of the vision for In The Hanging Garden. Our vision is to cultivate a cultural precinct in the centre of nipaluna/Hobart — a destination to celebrate and showcase the creative spirit and story of the city. Here, potent collisions of food, music, community, and commerce will frame boundless social adventures and inspire new discoveries.
Encompassing nearly an entire city block, In The Hanging Garden will weave the site’s historical fabric, local stories and contemporary elements to build on a distinct and much-loved sense of place, and retain cherished layers of nipaluna/Hobart‘s history.
With raw textures and dynamic spaces that change with the seasons, In The Hanging Garden will allow for a constant sense of discovery, wonder and community, intensifying the honest and raw spirit of the city.
It will be a place of pride for a city and its people, and an invitation to the world to discover, explore, and embrace nipaluna/Hobart‘s authentic heart and soul.
Location
Encompassing nearly an entire city block in the centre of nipaluna/Hobart, In The Hanging Garden sits across four CBD streets – Liverpool Street, Murray Street, Watchorn Street & Bathurst Street.
Team
“Hobart is a special place for us. With In The Hanging Garden we wanted to create a new place that felt like it had been there for centuries because we know that culture is intangible - it’s a feeling, something that develops over time.”
— David Lee, Development Director, Riverlee
Riverlee & DarkLab announce partnership 2017
Source: The Mercury
Riverlee is a Melbourne-based diversified property development group shaping Australian cities with integrity and respect. Committed to Tasmania for over two decades, Riverlee has a long-term vision to deliver an urban renewal precinct that authentically reflects the history and character of nipaluna/Hobart.
Since 2017, Riverlee in partnership with DarkLab have collaborated on the activation and development of the cultural precinct, a partnership motivated by the shared aspirations to leave a lasting legacy of cultural, environmental, and social impact.
DarkLab is a local nipaluna/Hobart creative agency with a passion for progressive urban development that positively shapes the fabric of the city. Founder David Walsh, owner of the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) and creative director Leigh Carmichael work with a range of collaborators on cultural and commercial developments in Australia and internationally.
Stage One of In The Hanging Garden will also be supported by project partners Quintessential Equity, a leading Australian commercial property developer committed to delivering exceptional project outcomes celebrating people and place.
Riverlee is proud to unite with the industry’s most creative and strategic minds in bringing this vibrant precinct to life.
“We want In The Hanging Garden to provide space for creativity to emerge, for joy and laughter and celebration to continue, for friendships to grow, and we want the precinct to be a symbol for the new Tasmania, one of inclusion, hope and tolerance.“
— Leigh Carmichael, Creative Director, DarkLab
Placebook
To help guide our vision, we’ve created an In The Hanging Garden Precinct Placebook. The purpose of this document is to set out the place principles of In The Hanging Garden. Once finalised, these guiding principles will drive all future design decisions as the precinct evolves.
The placebook also provides an overview of the current masterplan strategy, aimed at inviting locals and visitors to immerse themselves into an authentic experience of the city, weaving in the site’s history and existing heritage fabric as part of a contemporary transformation.
The next evolution will transform the space into a series of hospitality and live music venues, tiered gardens, a hotel, commercial spaces, communal areas, and a diverse residential offering all interconnected via a network of intimate and vibrant laneways.
Throughout this cultural heart, we are targeting:
Of the site area will have publicly accessible, green, open space over multiple levels
Of the site area will have retained heritage buildings including the renovated Odeon Theatre
Guiding principles:
Truth telling through place
Designing for country
A collision of culture
Cultural infrastructure for day & night life
Authentic & honest
Adaptive re-use and celebration of nipaluna/Hobart‘s character
A place to get lost, and to get found
Creating spaces for journey & discovery
A garden that lives & breathes
Enhancing connection to nature though landscape & biophilic design
Today & evermore
Sustainability and resilience
Exterior advertisements for the movie 'Broadway Babes' 1930, TAHO NS2930-1-8
Interior image of the Strand's first floor 1929, TAHO NS2930-1-11
Feedback
A notable Hobartian once told us, ‘developers and architects don’t build culture, people do’, so we built In The Hanging Garden as a temporary cultural activation for people to leave their own mark.
A mark that can be carried through and preserved as we evolve the precinct into a vibrant neighbourhood for nipaluna/Hobart.
In The Hanging Garden has, at its heart, the people of nipaluna/Hobart, and it’s important to us to hear from you to help guide the next chapter.
We have developed a questionnaire to help us understand what’s important to you, so we can transform the site into a precinct inspired by local stories and centred around local people.
This questionnaire is for anyone who is responding to our vision and the Placebook, or would just like to provide open feedback.
Provide FeedbackJoin our mailing list for updates on In The Hanging Garden Precinct.
