Learning from Monash’s Southern Precinct: Greyspace into Greenspace
Supported by a $10,000 LFA Landscape Performance Case Study grant, this project reveals lessons on designing climate-resilient, culturally connected university landscapes.
Image credit: Jasjit Banga 2024
At Monash University’s Clayton campus, a once car-dominated area has been transformed into a thriving landscape of learning and connection. The Southern Precinct Landscape (SPL) project by ASPECT Studios reclaims over 26,000 sq m of campus lands to benefit people, reflect culture and climate.
Through the Landscape Foundation of Australia’s $10,000 grant under the Landscape Performance Case Studies (LPCS) Program, researchers from RMIT University assessed how this bold redesign performs — measuring outcomes across environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions.
Landscape performance findings
The results show a compelling case for green infrastructure investment on campuses:
18 % increase in total vegetated area and 100 % increase in tree canopy at the new podium landscape.
8.3 ML of recycled rainwater harvested annually for irrigation — saving A$24,630 per year.
Surface temperatures reduced by up to 4.4 °C, improving comfort and resilience to heat.
6,878 m² of new public open space — equivalent area to an international soccer field.
85 % of students surveyed use new areas for social interaction, and 55 % for learning activities.
Indigenous artwork Weelam Ngalut (Our Place) by Megan Cope provides a powerful Welcome to Country presence and continues to be used for smoking ceremonies.
Designing for climate, culture and connection
The Southern Landscape Precinct project reimagines the role of campus open space — replacing 435 surface car parks with an underground facility and a lightweight green podium landscape above. The result is a human-scaled network of shaded plazas, outdoor classrooms, and permeable surfaces that reduce stormwater runoff and connect into Monash’s recycled-water network.
At the campus heart, Menzies Square now combines mature retained Eucalypts with native understorey planting and cultural . The project embodies Monash’s goal of creating a climate-resilient, inclusive campus that expresses connection to Country.
Lessons Learned
Testing of as-supplied soils is essential to ensure the performance of on-structure landscapes.
Ongoing irrigation system maintenance is critical to tree establishment and canopy outcomes.
Cultural representation has evolved: contemporary practice now calls for deeper co-design processes with Traditional Owners, embedding values and principles from the outset and throughout the project.
Universities can unlock significant ecological and social value by converting grey infrastructure into living landscapes.
Read the full Monash Southern Precinct Case Study → [Download PDF below]
Applications close for the 2026 LPCS Grant Program on Friday, 16 January 2026 → [Find out more]
LFA welcomes questions and comments about the Landscape Performance Case Studies Program.
Please address them to LFA@landscapefoundation.org.au