Melbourne’s sweet redevelopment

After several iterations in design since planning approval six years ago, Melbourne’s Jam Factory redevelopment is now under construction.

The Jam Factory Precinct in South Yarra will be home to six new buildings featuring 600 residences, 10,000 sqm of commercial private offices and 20,000 sqm of retail and hospitality spaces. It will also feature a 5-star hotel, a boutique hotel, a new cinema complex and a 2500 sqm piazza.

First developed in 1858, the precinct started life as a brewery before becoming a preserve and jam manufacturer and then a retail and cinema area in the 1990’s.

The $2.75 billion redevelopment project is being spearheaded by the Gurner Group which bought the property in 2024. It has appointed international architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) alongside local architects Buchan, Leonard Design Architects, Warren & Mahoney and Bates Smart (original masterplan and design concept) to design the precinct while Townshend Landscape Architects will design the gardens.

The project has undergone several design iterations since Stonnington Council first approved the redevelopment for the original owner Newmark Capital in 2018.

As a construction site, all non-heritage elements have been demolished across the site including the removal of the current cinema complex while keeping the iconic façade for the new cinema.

About the author

Desi Corbett

Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia and at the helm of our magazine for 8 years. She was behind the Institute's weekly news bulletins from 2016-2021 and is now writing our focused news items. Desi has been an engineering news and features journalist/editor across all disciplines since 2013 - part of a 30-year career writing for a wide range of industries.