OMA to design Wollert Neighborhood Center in Australian suburb near Melbourne

OMA was commissioned by Australian retail developer Sandhurst Retail to design the mixed-use Wollert Neighborhood Center in the suburb of Wollert, which is about 25 kilometers (about 15.5 miles) north of Melbourne's Central Business District and is one of the fastest growing regions in the state of Victoria. So far, the practice has released only a few renderings of their scheme.

The 9,000m2 Center will combine retail and community spaces. A shaded courtyard with an amphitheater will be used for curated community events and daily activities, while the accessible roof makes room for sports, education, and potential urban agriculture and energy-saving initiatives. 

Amenity spaces, childcare facilities, and wellness-focused retail spaces are spatially organized into vertical “stripes”. Along with the courtyard's landscape design, this spatial configuration was inspired by the product barcodes used throughout the...