A multidisciplinary team led by Durbach Block Jaggers with Architecture Associates and landscape architecture practice Openwork has won a competition to design a new $60 million library and public piazza in Melbourne’s Coburg.
The winning design was unanimously selected in a two-stage competition run by City Lab, which launched in May 2025. The jury was chaired by Victorian government architect Jill Garner and included Merri-bek City Council director of community Eamonn Fennessy, Monash University associate professor Maryam Gusheh, Jones and Whitehead director Ron Jones, and Sibling Architecture co-director Qianyi Lim.
The competition shortlist, announced in September 2025, included three additional teams: FJC Studio with TCL and the Indigenuity Lab; Edition Office, Blaklash, Hassell, Finding Infinity and Kate Rhodes; and Studio Bright with Oculus, Board Grove, Blaklash, Five Mile Radius and Barbara Flynn.
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The library is planned for an existing car park bordered by Waterfield and Victoria streets. The winning proposal comprises a four-storey library building with flexible spaces for reading, learning, creative and cultural programs, and community use. The design places the library collection on the middle floors, with an open ground floor below and multipurpose public rooms above.
The scheme positions the library at the western edge of the site, opening onto a piazza that spans roughly two-thirds of the site. The piazza includes a central open space for events and activities, framed by seating and plants. Indigenous plant species will form part of the landscape design, according to the council.
Community feedback on the draft concept design is open until 24 April. Subject to approval, construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2028, with the library scheduled to open in late 2029.