Younghusband

Younghusband is Melbourne’s largest operational net-zero-carbon adaptive reuse precinct, transforming 120-year-old heritage-listed red-brick woolstores in Kensington into a vibrant, sustainable mixed-use destination.

Developed by Built and Irongate in partnership with CDPQ, the project is setting a new benchmark for how developments can reimagine ageing industrial assets to meet contemporary needs.

“Reimagined by Woods Bagot, the project has been sympathetically adapted into a dynamic district that cultivates creativity and innovation. By breathing new life into this collection of heritage buildings, Younghusband have been conserved as a cherished icon, with its rich legacy woven into the brickwork of a new form, revitalised for today,” said Woods Bagot Director Peter Miglis.

The design preserves key historic features including decommissioned bail elevators, wool pulleys, steel-framed windows, painted signage, and distinctive sawtooth roofs, celebrating the site's industrial heritage while creating highly functional contemporary spaces. Through a light-touch construction approach, the project has achieved a radical reduction in embodied carbon compared to a typical new build. It is operationally net-zero carbon and offsets a significant portion of its energy use through onsite photovoltaics.

Stage 1 delivers over 17,000 square metres of A-grade office space, designed for future-facing businesses that value sustainability, flexibility, and connection to place. Beyond the buildings themselves, the masterplan integrates a network of public spaces and laneways designed to support community interaction, event activation, and long-term cultural programming.

With future stages set to introduce additional commercial space, public amenity, and civic infrastructure, Younghusband offers a scalable model for heritage-led urban renewal. Its enduring qualities, adaptive reuse, sustainability commitment, and community-first design, position it as a blueprint for sustainable, inclusive development in Melbourne and beyond.