Kim Dovan

Empowering Melbourne is an organisation which makes use of 181 William Street’s location within the legal precinct and high sustainable design to provide a space where professionals, creatives and individuals can meet to collaborate on climate justice issues to encourage a wider diversity of people to use the area which currently consists mainly of law workers.

Empowering Melbourne advocates for finding solutions to Climate justice issues by partnering with innovators (individuals with an idea) and facilities an exchange of knowledge with industry and professionals, and physical spaces to collaborate in. The aim is to empower people of all backgrounds to come up with new and creative ways of dealing with climate justice issues by establishing a network of industry professionals and provide a platform to share these proposals.

The concept of empowering people is further reflected by the inclusion of an exterior screen attached to the building where artists are invited to draw their version of Melbourne (past, present or future) to represent the idea that individual Melbournians have the ability to influence their city.

Secondary to the main program, 181 William Street will be part of the Sustainable Architecture Tour that runs in Melbourne to educate the public about sustainable building systems.

The process of how a single idea branches out into many different solutions is represented architecturally in the form of the space. The center comprises of 3 glass meeting rooms where problems are exposed, and multi-purpose workshops branch out from the center which are flexible to accommodate a wide range of activities (such as lab work and presentation spaces) created using operable walls and adaptable cabinet systems.

Ultimately, Empowering Melbourne addresses aspects of the Melbourne COVID-19 Reactivation and Recovery Plan by providing a program that attracts a wide diversity of people to come to the city again, as well as advocates for the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices in Melbourne's infrastructure.