In conversation: David Waldren on why place always starts with people
RoundIn conversation: David Waldren on why place always starts with people
18.11.2025
David Waldren is a (now retired) architect and design manager whose career includes the delivery of large-scale placemaking projects for some of Australia’s most notable destinations, including the MCG Northern Stand and Chadstone, among many others.
Despite delivering incredibly complex projects, a throughline of David’s work is his ability to bring an unwaveringly humanist lens to place-creation.
Round: I'd be interested to know how you think about the relationship between place and food and beverage experiences?
David: I view food and beverage through the lens of its purpose as celebration. It’s the centrepiece of celebration, the thing around which people gather. Whether that’s community, family events or even major cultural events where we live or are visiting. Food and beverage will play a part in that, it’s almost inevitable.
Round: Framed that way, it seems like a totally foregone conclusion that you’d want hospitality experiences to be part of a place and destination. Have you seen attitudes change in this area over your career?
David: I think the attention to food and beverage in place has ebbed and flowed. I was going to say it’s been a radical transformation – and I think that’s true in terms of development in Australia – but if you think of ancient history, those frescoes on the walls will always include food and beverage, all the way back through the centuries.
Round: It seems as though the drivers of these changes aren’t just economic, but cultural as well.
David: Indeed, it goes back to my conversation around celebration. One of those occasions would be a celebration of culture. To be a little bit glib, you can say if I’m going to Lygon Street, I’m celebrating Italian culture. If I’m going to Oakleigh, I’m probably celebrating Greek culture. If I’m heading to Sydney Road, I’m going to have a meal that celebrates Middle Eastern culture.
Each of these places will be able to provide me with insights into the food that’s on the menu, drawn from their own cultural experiences. And I think Melbourne does that particularly well.
So, it’s possible, although somewhat contrived, to think “Maybe I should create a public space all around French food and French culture, and I’ll paint some tricolours on the wall, and there will be croissants in the corner, and that will be fine.” But, compare that with the success of something like Lune, which is all about croissants and the fabulous French food tradition, but has nothing overtly to do with France.
Round: To take that example, Lune feels very authentically ‘Melbourne’.
David: You could even say Lune is inherently Fitzroy. You know, hidden down laneways are remarkable places and experiences. It’s inherently of its place. You could pick up that croissant and put it in another building, but if the way it’s served and presented isn’t consistent, it might not translate as well. You need the whole package.
When we were thinking about The Market Pavilion, the idea was to create a market environment appropriate to Chadstone – not just any sort of market. Equally, it was about creating a space in which the best of Melbourne could be enjoyed by visitors.
Now, those people who are the best of Melbourne aren’t used to being in a shopping centre environment, or even a market environment. Therefore, the conversations we were having were about how we could bring them into the space in a way that feels appropriate to The Market Pavilion and your brand.
Round: That makes me immediately think of Vasette at The Market Pavilion. It has such a connection with Fitzroy, but what they’ve done at Chadstone feels both consistent with the brand and entirely new at the same time.
David: It's getting a little bit esoteric, but I look at it as if it's the floral centrepiece of a fabulous dining table. As a physical manifestation in the place that is The Market Pavilion, it’s just absolutely perfect.
Round: When you’re working on something as large-scale as The Market Pavilion, is it hard to keep track of the human-scale experience on the other end?
David: It’s not something I perceive as a problem. The question isn’t how you balance a humanist approach against a commercial reality, because the two will almost inevitably align.
The most successful projects I’ve been involved in have started with the human, not starting with the building and then wondered about the human that might come to it.
David Waldren
18.11.2025
David Waldren
David Waldren is a (now retired) architect and design manager whose career includes the delivery of large-scale placemaking projects for some of Australia’s most notable destinations, including the MCG Northern Stand and Chadstone, among many others.
Despite delivering incredibly complex projects, a throughline of David’s work is his ability to bring an unwaveringly humanist lens to place-creation.
Round: I'd be interested to know how you think about the relationship between place and food and beverage experiences?
David: I view food and beverage through the lens of its purpose as celebration. It’s the centrepiece of celebration, the thing around which people gather. Whether that’s community, family events or even major cultural events where we live or are visiting. Food and beverage will play a part in that, it’s almost inevitable.
Round: Framed that way, it seems like a totally foregone conclusion that you’d want hospitality experiences to be part of a place and destination. Have you seen attitudes change in this area over your career?
David: I think the attention to food and beverage in place has ebbed and flowed. I was going to say it’s been a radical transformation – and I think that’s true in terms of development in Australia – but if you think of ancient history, those frescoes on the walls will always include food and beverage, all the way back through the centuries.
Round: It seems as though the drivers of these changes aren’t just economic, but cultural as well.
David: Indeed, it goes back to my conversation around celebration. One of those occasions would be a celebration of culture. To be a little bit glib, you can say if I’m going to Lygon Street, I’m celebrating Italian culture. If I’m going to Oakleigh, I’m probably celebrating Greek culture. If I’m heading to Sydney Road, I’m going to have a meal that celebrates Middle Eastern culture.
Each of these places will be able to provide me with insights into the food that’s on the menu, drawn from their own cultural experiences. And I think Melbourne does that particularly well.
So, it’s possible, although somewhat contrived, to think “Maybe I should create a public space all around French food and French culture, and I’ll paint some tricolours on the wall, and there will be croissants in the corner, and that will be fine.” But, compare that with the success of something like Lune, which is all about croissants and the fabulous French food tradition, but has nothing overtly to do with France.
Round: To take that example, Lune feels very authentically ‘Melbourne’.
David: You could even say Lune is inherently Fitzroy. You know, hidden down laneways are remarkable places and experiences. It’s inherently of its place. You could pick up that croissant and put it in another building, but if the way it’s served and presented isn’t consistent, it might not translate as well. You need the whole package.
When we were thinking about The Market Pavilion, the idea was to create a market environment appropriate to Chadstone – not just any sort of market. Equally, it was about creating a space in which the best of Melbourne could be enjoyed by visitors.
Now, those people who are the best of Melbourne aren’t used to being in a shopping centre environment, or even a market environment. Therefore, the conversations we were having were about how we could bring them into the space in a way that feels appropriate to The Market Pavilion and your brand.
Round: That makes me immediately think of Vasette at The Market Pavilion. It has such a connection with Fitzroy, but what they’ve done at Chadstone feels both consistent with the brand and entirely new at the same time.
David: It's getting a little bit esoteric, but I look at it as if it's the floral centrepiece of a fabulous dining table. As a physical manifestation in the place that is The Market Pavilion, it’s just absolutely perfect.
Round: When you’re working on something as large-scale as The Market Pavilion, is it hard to keep track of the human-scale experience on the other end?
David: It’s not something I perceive as a problem. The question isn’t how you balance a humanist approach against a commercial reality, because the two will almost inevitably align.
The most successful projects I’ve been involved in have started with the human, not starting with the building and then wondered about the human that might come to it.