Genton’s design for Pakenham Station has been awarded Silver at the 2025 Melbourne Design Awards, a recognition that celebrates not only design excellence, but also the power of transport infrastructure to enrich communities and reshape urban identity.
Located in Melbourne’s southeast, Pakenham Station sets a new benchmark in rail infrastructure design, delivering architectural excellence that blends urban renewal, cultural storytelling, and sustainable innovation. The project eliminates three dangerous level crossings and introduces over 20,000 square metres of new public realm, reconnecting a once-divided suburb through thoughtful, inclusive urban renewal. Elevated above its surroundings, the station serves as a social and visual anchor for the precinct, while delivering enhanced connectivity and a safer, more intuitive passenger experience.
Elevating Station Design in Melbourne
At the heart of the design is an expansive, wave-like canopy, crafted using digitally fabricated reinforced thermoset. This advanced material choice drastically reduces embodied carbon by removing the need for excess steel and aluminium. More than just a roof, the canopy becomes a sculptural statement of openness and possibility. It enables natural light and airflow to permeate the station, eliminates the need for traditional walls, and creates clear sightlines that enhance safety, wayfinding, and integration with the surrounding streetscape.
Architecture with Country in Mind
The project goes beyond technical performance. Pakenham Station is embedded with cultural storytelling, foregrounding Indigenous co-design and respect for Country. References to Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle, appear throughout, most notably in the feather pattern engraved into the station’s GRC panels. These tactile surfaces invite community members to physically connect with the stories of place, transforming a transport space into a site of cultural memory and pride.
Further east, a 2-kilometre-long civil retaining wall along the Shared Use Path features an eel trap motif—a nod to the traditional land practices of the Bunurong people. This linear gesture transforms an otherwise utilitarian structure into a journey of discovery, tying the infrastructure into the deep-time history of the land.
Setting the Standard for Rail Architects in Australia
Winning Silver at the Melbourne Design Awards is a testament to the project’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusion. It stands as a benchmark for the future of rail infrastructure and reaffirms Genton’s place among the best rail architects in Australia, pushing boundaries and transforming how cities move.
Congratulations to everyone involved in delivering this transformative project.
