Canberra Centre opened in 1963, as the Monaro Mall, the first fully enclosed shopping centre to contain three floors and the first shopping centre in Canberra to have a car park operated by ticket machines.

Monaro Mall stood as a local landmark, reflective of gradual Canberra’s coming of age. It was listed as one of Canberra’s most significant twentieth-century architectural ventures.

Nearing the turn of the twenty-first century, the mall would then be incorporated into the Canberra Centre which we know now. The original Monaro Centre was renovated into a Beauty precinct that runs down Bunda Street, it is the oldest section of the Canberra Centre.

The redevelopment of Canberra Centre reinterprets post-war modernist influences, which are complemented by the contemporary touches of Mather Architecture and Universal Design Studio. Visitors to Canberra Centre will be graced with an architectural scheme that balances new and old through playing with elements that are both timeless and dramatic. Canberra Centre has been reexpressed through the use of a rich palette and materially-rich composition. The space is activated by the new skylight which works with the reflective soffits at the Bunda Street entrance to create a light filled space for visitors.

Monaro Mall by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture received awards for heritage and interior architecture, as well as awards for commercial architecture and light in architecture at the 2018 Australian Institute of Architects awards (ACT Branch).

This year, DESIGN Canberra will proudly showcase our Emerging Contemporaries and A Common Thread Exhibitions at Canberra Centre, as well as, a retrospective of our graphic interventions throughout the years.