MELBOURNE.- A world-first hub for repurposing waste from construction and demolition has been awarded the 2022 Melbourne Design Week Award, presented by Mercedes-Benz.

With almost half of waste worldwide coming from construction and demolition, Zero Footprint Repurposing by Revival Projects, presented as part of Melbourne Design Week, seeks to make sustainable construction alternatives more accessible to everyone by providing one of the world's first free repurposing hubs to fill a vital gap in the industry by facilitating the storage and reuse of demolished materials, which would otherwise become landfill.

Founded by Robbie Neville in 2016, Revival Projects has already salvaged hundreds of tonnes in construction and demolition waste across Melbourne channelling it into furniture, interior, and architectural projects including R.M. Williams stores across the country, Industry Beans new Fitzroy flagship, and the 2020 demolition and salvage with Hip V.Hype, who were heading up the development of a Six Degrees Architects-designed block of 22 apartments in South Melbourne.

This first hub, opened in 2020, and in operation for a year, was situated immediately adjacent to the Hip V Hype site, and saw Revival Projects repurpose the 2000 lineal meters of timber beams into several local projects including a whisky bar, a ceramic studio, a burger bar and in sustainable furniture design workshops for women, which were run from the hub. The remaining timber will be used in feature elements of an 8 story Perri Projects development, designed by Tandem Studio, which is now under construction on the site of the South Melbourne hub.

The second iteration of the hub, presented during Melbourne Design Week 2022, is situated in Islington Street, Collingwood in a 100-year-old, 1500 square-metre warehouse, that will be demolished in 2024. True to their cause, Revival Projects, who are utilising the space in the interim, is working with Grimshaw Architects, the architects of the site’s future development, to repurpose the existing materials from the warehouse into the new development.




During Melbourne Design Week 2022, Revival Projects will open the hub to the public, Friday 25 March, with visitors able to discover how designers, builders and clients can work together to revolutionise the industry’s approach to repurposing and sustainable construction, and see a range of materials that have been stored onsite by FJMT, Perri Projects, Beulah International, Edition Office, BAR Studio, Hip V. Hype, Kerstin Thompson Architects, Assemble Communities, Grimshaw Architects, ANPlus Developments and Bayley Ward Architects among others.

A panel event discussing the work and impact of Revival Projects and some of their collaborators will take place on the premises, featuring Robbie along with speakers from Grimshaw, Hip V. Hype and Assemble Communities, the discussion will take place 5:00, Friday 25 March, 111 Islington St, Collingwood. For full details visit: Zero Footprint Repurposing MDW 2022

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, National Gallery of Victoria, said: ‘Zero Footprint Repurposing is a project of ambitious scale with global importance. Offering a unique platform for the design and construction industry to make a sustainable impact, the project is a real catalyst for positive change. Revival Projects draws attention to an important issue, demonstrating that the value of a design is not only in its function or aesthetic, but also in its environmental impact.’

Florian Seidler, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, said: ‘Great design creates products and services which help to realise a healthier future and Zero Footprint Repurposing by Revival Projects is doing just that. Through their design week event they are both drawing attention to the issue of sustainable building practice and demonstrating how it can be achieved.’

‘At Mercedes-Benz, we’re also on a journey to a sustainable future, which includes finding ways to drive recycled products and methodologies into our supply chains and our vehicles.’

Robbie Neville, Founder of Revival Projects, said: ‘Our mission here is to revolutionize the way our industry approaches existing materials; we are disrupting centuries of traditions based on reckless consumption of natural resources. We are tremendously excited by the galvanic, inclusive energy of Melbourne Design Week, we have the dream combination of right place, right time, and right people to channel this incredible energy into affecting immediate change.’

Zero Footprint Repurposing is presented as part of Melbourne Design Week, an initiative of the Victorian Government delivered by the National Gallery of Victoria. In 2022 Melbourne Design Week runs from March 17 - 27.