In South Yarra, a vibrant inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia, construction is underway on the historic Jam Factory site. Located on Chapel Street, one of Melbourne’s most iconic shopping and dining precincts, the site has played a key role in the city’s industrial and cultural history for over 160 years.

Originally built as a brewery in 1858, the building was repurposed in 1880 as a preserving company, producing jam and canned goods that were distributed across Australia. Jam production continued for nearly a century, solidifying the site’s name before its transformation into a shopping center in 1970.

Now, the Gurner Group has unveiled an ambitious vision to reimagine the site as a landmark of adaptive reuse. Partnering with SOM as architect, alongside Buchan and the Gurner Design House, the redevelopment will balance heritage preservation with contemporary innovation.

The $2.75-billion mixed-use project will introduce 600 residences, two hotels, 10,000 square meters of office space, 20,000 square meters of retail, and a public piazza, all while preserving the building’s historic façade. The Gurner Groups’s Founder, Tim Gurner, envisions the project as “a renewed world class cultural icon, and a destination for all of Melbourne that brings people together for dining, entertainment, culture and experiences.”