Still waiting for Hortus

Still waiting for Hortus

The Harbour Esplanade glasshouse ‘Hortus’ won’t open this year, with further delays hampering construction efforts.

The project is being delivered by Utopian Folk, a collaboration between Folk Architect’s Christie Petsinis and Tim Wilson and Utopian Slumps’ Melissa Loughnan, who were awarded a Places Victoria contract to activate the site.

It will include an edible plant installation, a communal outdoor space and a café serving seasonal produce.

The project was originally announced in July 2012 as part of the launch of the Docklands Community and Place Plan and was due to open in September of the same year.

But the glass house didn’t open in September 2012 as planned and by February this year there was no sign of construction starting anytime soon.

Delays were put down to multiple issues including difficulty obtaining a permit to operate on Crown land and the original cafe operator backing out. At the time, Utopian Folk said it expected Hortus to open in autumn.

But in April, Places Victoria general manager Simon Wilson said Hortus wouldn’t open in autumn and instead construction was hoped to start by mid-year and would take about 10 weeks.

In August construction began and it was hoped Hortus would open by summer.

However, at the time of publication it had been more than 14 weeks since construction began and Hortus had still not opened.

Mr Wilson said the reliance on in-kind assistance in the design and construction of Hortus had led to some delays.

Mr Wilson said construction was due to be completed before Christmas, with Horuts opening to the public in the New Year.

Tram stops for pedestrians?

Tram stops for pedestrians?

February 28th, 2024 - Dr Elek Pafka
Join Our Facebook Group