Our Estate | August update
Catch up on the progress of the Estate Master Plan
It has been another busy quarter, with significant progress and milestone achievements for estate planning and development.
After a seven-year closure, the Potter Museum of Art opened its doors again in May 2025. The opening coincided with a landmark new exhibition, 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, curated by the Associate Provost and Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AO, Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM, and Associate Curator Shanysa McConvile, in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and custodians of art tradition.
The Potter, first founded in 1972, is one of the largest university-based museums in Australia and has been located across a number of sites on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus since that time. The Potter relocated to its current position on Swanston Street in 1998 and was designed by Katsalidis Architects. The newly refurbished building has been redesigned by Wood Marsh Architecture and features an extension and a new, distinctive arched and mirrored entrance on campus.
The Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence has capped off a fantastic first year since launch by winning four awards at the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Awards in June 2025. The centre took home an Educational Architecture Award, a commendation in the Urban Design and Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture categories, and the Emerging Architect Regional Prize.
Designed by ARM Architecture and built by First Nations-led company TVN on Country, Munarra is the first Indigenous-led, pathways-based university, with the University of Melbourne a funding partner alongside the Victorian State Government and founding partner the Kaiela Institute and the Rumbalara Football Netball Club.
A collaborative team comprising the Office of the Provost and the Chief Operating Officer Portfolio are working to develop a new Student Accommodation Strategic Plan which was initiated in Q2 2025. The Plan seeks to define the University’s future residential needs and establish a long-term strategic plan approach to student accommodation.
Engagement to support the Plan development will be comprehensive, with students, staff, colleges, and residential providers sharing their views and student accommodation experiences and needs.