The Test Garden has opened at Skyline Car Park – Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. The Test Garden is to trial the planting for Laak Boorndap, the new 18,000 square metre urban garden being delivered as part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project. The Test Garden seeks to demonstrate the naturalistic planting style and provide a test bed for programming, research and conversations about climate change, biodiversity and ecology.
The Arts Precinct is working with Hassell as the landscape architects and horticulturalists, Super Bloom, James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett, we have partnered with University of Melbourne to place experimentation and research at the heart of this project through rigorous scientific testing at the horticulture campus in Burnley.
Experimentation and adaptability are necessary for surviving the changing climate’s unpredictable conditions. As our city faces the climate crisis challenges, we are committed to cultivating climate-resilient gardens. In this garden, we’ve chosen plants already known to survive in hot, dry conditions in a shallow substrate. The diverse selection of plants requires minimal intervention and irrigation to flourish, making them uniquely adaptable to our changing climate.
Throughout the year, visit this garden to watch it grow and bloom with the seasons, take part in public programs and workshops, and learn more about our research insights into climate resilience and biodiversity preservation.
One of the key issues of climate emergency is the loss of biodiversity, which is essential to life because it supports complex ecosystems. The project hopes to provide birds, insects, and bees a home by creating this unique urban ecosystem. The Test Gardenis one of many, as community groups, councils, and neighbours across Melbourne create gardens focusing on thoughtful planting, fostering biodiversity, and changing our relationship to nature in an urban environment.
Complementing the rich tapestry of planting across the year, Laak Boorndap will present contemporary art and activation, including new artwork commissions by First Peoples. The garden will also be home to significant contemporary sculptures from NGV and Arts Centre Melbourne collections, open to the public both day and night.
Work on Laak Boorndap is due to begin in 2026 with the MAPT expected to be completed in 2028.
The public can visit the Test Garden at Skyline Car Park – Federation Square.
Design: Hassell in partnership with Super Bloom, James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett
Construction: Colombo Design Partnership
The Test Garden is presented by MAP Co (Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation) and has been supported by Bupa.
Photography: (c) Damian Holmes. Photos taken on 10 February, 2025.
