Remix Raingarden

Fishermans Bend Innovation Challenge

The winning concept for the Fishermans Bend Innovation Challenge, 'Remix Raingarden' was launched in April 2023. The UEDLAB collaborated with the pilot team members in the design, construction and implementation of the raingarden prototypes. Pitched by engineering student Amira Moshinsky, Andreas Baruhas and Ema Hagihara, the proposal seeks to enable climate resilience and water sensitive urban design through sustainable and cost-effective raingarden design. The project was initiated as an CIE (Creating Innovative Engineering) course in the Opportunities Lab, and it is being implemented in partnership with the Victorian Government, Fishermans Bend, Development Victoria and University of Melbourne Opportunity Lab.

The project is an on-going investigation into the use of hard waste in bio-retention systems at Melbourne's future Fishermans Bend precinct, a low-lying area particularly prone to flooding. A student-led collaboration between landscape architecture, engineering and biosciences students and advisors, the project interfaces with the idea of designed experiments and multidisciplinary approaches to learning.

From left to right, Claire Newton, Amira Moshinsky, Ema Hagihara and Maria Bulmaga with the Remix Raingardens in background — Claire Newton (Landscape architecture - UEDLAB), Amira Moshinsky (Engineering), Ema Hagihara (Engineering) and Maria Bulmaga (Architecture - UEDLAB) pictured at the Remix Raingarden launch. Photo Credit: City of Melbourne.

Diagram of the remix raingarden planter box — A diagrammatic model of the raingarden unit placed at Fishermans Bend - a low lying precinct in Melbourne's south west - which is prone to flooding. The raingarden is a technically designed garden constructed from waste materials which manages the flow of local rainwater, effectively mitigating floods whilst providing amenity and opportunity for habitat. (UEDLAB, 2023).

Remix Raingarden: Photos from the opening event held at Fishermans Bend in April 2023, through to construction of the raingarden boxes at The University of Melbourne Makers Space.