Hidden amongst the artificial structures and below the water surface at Fishermans Bend lies a biodiverse environment often overlooked due to human and ecological disturbances observed across the Lower Birrarung.

As Melbourne/Naarm’s urban landscapes continue to disturb these environments, how do we shift perceptions of these often-degraded environments and leverage ecological novelty as an approach to repair ecological function through site-specific responses to biodiversity?

Designer and researcher Shane Hunt from Haptera Design leads a walking tour exploring a series of artificial habitats deployed across Fishermans Bend, with the support of FB IDEAs and Port of Melbourne. The tour will outline how the project contributes to new approaches to designing for novel ecologies through generative design approaches to substrate design. Part presentation, part discussion, the session invites discussion about how design can facilitate new relationships and ecological function within urban waterways.