The Nook

The Nook transforms an underutilised car park on Cardigan Street, Carlton, into a dynamic third space through regenerative, system-led, place based, and material-driven design. This Melbourne project weaves together spatial and product design strategies to foster meaningful connections between transient stakeholders and urban wildlife. Guided by More-Than-Human principles, the deep retrofit approach establishes environments where human activities harmoniously coexist with urban ecology. The design shifts away from mono-functional car parks toward spaces that enhance both community wellbeing and biodiversity. The project culminates in an Adaptive Framework for Regeneration that surpasses traditional circular design practices. This replicable model offers systematic solutions for urban renewal, grounded in local context and place-based transformation. The Nook demonstrates how design intervention can revitalise urban dead spaces into thriving ecosystems where human and nonhuman communities flourish together.