Following on from Chadstone’s recent entertaining and dining announcement – The Social Quarter, Australia’s largest shopping centre continues its evolution with the commencement of a $485 million project which includes a revitalised fresh food precinct – The Market Pavilion and a new 20,000m2 commercial office tower – One Middle Road, which is due for completion in mid-2024.

The new Market Pavilion fresh food precinct expansion will span more than 26,500m2 of retail area at ground level, with the newly constructed level above to house a range of services from childcare to health and wellness. Sitting atop both areas, the new nine-story One Middle Road office tower will add a further 20,000m2 of high-quality office space along with a new level of covered parking adjacent to the Coles entry. This additional parking level provides for office and retail workers during the week and will be open to Chadstone’s visitors on the weekend.

Chadstone Centre Manager Daniel Boyle said: “We are proud to present the next phase in Chadstone’s continual evolution. The construction works recently commenced on The Market Pavilion, One Middle Road, and the expansion of Car Park C contribute to more than $600 million in total works currently underway at Chadstone.”

“The design and retail offer in The Market Pavilion combines the best of the modern fresh food marketplaces one visits while in Europe with the ambience and much-loved brands that are enthusiastically embraced by Melburnians locally – reflecting the quality, variety and elevated consumer experience which Chadstone is known for.”

On completion, The Market Pavilion will consist of more than 50 market-leading retailers on the ground level, making Chadstone’s fresh food precinct significantly larger than it is today. Encompassing Melbourne’s epicurean spirit, The Market Pavilion will capture the diversity of Australia’s food capital. From everyday essentials to artisan produce and specialised buys, Chadstone’s new fresh food precinct will house everything under one roof, affording visitors the luxury of time and convenience.

The new 20,000m2 commercial office tower, One Middle Road, incorporates new arrival, drop off and pick-up areas for visitors to Chadstone and will take advantage of services including on-site childcare, wellness facilities and easy access into the retail centre itself. With the One Middle Road office tower more than 50% pre-leased, the office workers who will soon call it home will also enjoy exclusive amenities including an outdoor sky garden, business lounge and first-class end-of-trip facilities.

The centre currently services approximately 3,900 office workers at Chadstone and will welcome more than 6,000 post-completion of the One Middle Road office tower.

“We know there is significant appetite for workplace solutions outside of the traditional CBD, and this significant investment in the centre’s development recognises the important role Chadstone plays at the heart of an emerging 20-minute city in Melbourne’s Southeast. We look forward to welcoming the first of our new tenants when One Middle Road is completed mid-2024,” said Boyle.

Delivered in collaboration with builders John Holland, The Market Pavilion and One Middle Road will create more than 1,000 jobs during construction.

John Holland Executive General Manager – Building and Development, David Lehmann said, “We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with joint owners, Vicinity Centres and the Gandel Group, on the next stage of redevelopment at Chadstone – a national retail icon.”

The Market Pavilion and One Middle Road will target a 5 Star Green Star rating. The project features a new 740kW Solar PV System, a naturally ventilated market hall and state-of-the-art amenities. The new precinct will incorporate an improved building thermal envelope and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, with the One Middle Road office being an all-electric building, reflecting industry best practice.

The roof design of The Market Pavilion includes natural ventilation louvres which will reduce energy consumption by 500,000kWg/year, the equivalent of 100 Victorian households. The use of solar power harvested on-site, a dedicated waste management plan, and a target of net-zero operational emissions will contribute to minimising the precinct’s environmental footprint.

Extensive efforts have been made to sequence the construction works in a way that minimises the impact on our retailers and customers. While it’s not quite ‘business as usual’ in this part of the centre, the majority of retailers will be open and trading across the rest of the centre throughout the construction period.

The fresh food precinct and commercial office tower projects further Chadstone’s evolution from a shopping centre to the heart of an emerging city. These developments are in addition to the works currently underway which include a new entertainment and dining precinct, The Social Quarter, due to open this summer and the major refurbishment of Chadstone Place to house Officeworks’ corporate headquarters from 2023.