The design firm is behind a range of recognisable residential, institutional and commercial projects across Australia, including the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Westfield Sydney City Commercial Tower and Melbourne School of Design.

Luke Jarvis, who is design lead for the GovHub project, lives in Ballarat and said it had always been an aspiration to work on a landmark building in his home town.

The modern government employee office building will stand next to the redeveloped Civic Hall.

Mr Jarvis said he was aware of the long history of the site and the controversy that had surrounded it. 

“It’s obviously quite a sensitive site,” he said.

“We are well attuned to the cultural significance the Civic Hall has with the residents of Ballarat, so we certainly feel well-equipped to be able to work with such a site and precinct.”

He said one of the key aims of the design would be to help recreate what was once a “very active and vibrant” precinct.​

“There is a number of frontages we need to work with and each one of those frontages has a different character,” Mr Jarvis said.

“From residential on the west, down to more commercial on the east and heading towards retail on the north.

“We are looking at the building design that can potentially open up all sides of the site, making it accessible and really embracing the surrounding communities, and draw people into the site.”

The team from John Wardle Architects will work with Baumgart Clark Architects, which will be responsible for the restoration and redevelopment of the Civic Hall. 

“Given they are on the same precinct, we will be working very closely with them to make sure that both concepts are quite closely aligned and it’s the best response for the whole precinct,” Mr Jarvis said.

The precinct will accommodate up to 1000 government employees by the time the redevelopment is finished in 2020.

The state government has invested $47.8 million towards the project.

Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said with up to 600 professional jobs coming to Ballarat, the state government would build the diversity of jobs on offer and help provide career pathways for locals, while attracting more people to live in regional Victoria.

The community and local businesses will have an opportunity to view the concept design, speak with the architects and the design team, and provide feedback at a community consultation session on Saturday, December 2.