Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market, a renowned heritage site in the City of Melbourne that has been in operation since 1878, has recently been revitalised to bring new life to its underused edges.

Plico Design Studio, responsible for the design of Queen Victoria Market, focused on creating functional, people oriented spaces through a furniture led approach that balances heritage sensitivity with contemporary performance. A key strategy for the project was the activation of the ground plane, with integrated planters and seating establishing social, flexible areas that encourage pause and interaction.

Linea Planters play a critical role in structuring the space. Positioned along the street edge, they introduce planting at eye level and define seating zones within a constrained footprint. Their linear arrangement establishes a clear boundary between the market and the roadway, while maintaining openness within. This balance is particularly important in a shared street environment.

“When having lunch sitting down, you want to be able to focus on the market side rather than what’s happening on the road,” says Plico Director and Principal Architect Angus Wallace. “We wanted to combine visual and acoustic separation with an attractive barrier against the road, so using the Linea planters made perfect sense.”

Complementing the planters, Linea Benches are integrated throughout the site to extend seating beyond the market edge.

A key design challenge was to introduce new elements into a tightly controlled heritage site. Rather than replicate existing historic finishes, Plico chose a complementary palette of Dusty Pink and Pale Eucalypt. Paired with aluminium woodgrain Spotted Gum battens, materials offer warmth and durability while sitting comfortably within the existing fabric.

“We quite consciously chose not to have exactly the same finishes, but something that had a relationship in a contemporary way.”

Angus Wallace, Director of Plico Designs

Heritage constraints also informed the approach to shade. With tight restrictions on overhead structures, Linea Tables were adapted with removable umbrellas.

“We didn’t want to obstruct the view of the heritage buildings,”says Wallace. “Umbrellas can be taken down and present fewer constraints.”

Long term performance was another important consideration. Self contained wicking beds within the planters addresses irrigation and maintenance challenges in a high traffic public environment, ensuring durability and ease of upkeep.

Originally established in the 1860s and in operation for over a century, Queen Victoria Market remains one of the surviving major markets in the Melbourne CBD.