Flood Modelling – Coburg Precinct Framework

Rain Consulting supported MGS Architects and Merri-bek City Council on the Revitalising Coburg Precinct Framework, delivering detailed flood modelling and climate-risk assessments to inform the renewal of major mixed-use redevelopment sites in central Coburg. The work provides an updated, evidence-based understanding of hydrology and hydraulics across the precinct, ensuring future planning and design decisions are resilient, defensible and climate-ready.

Above & Beyond Strategies

A core strength of the project has been the collaborative and iterative approach taken with architects, Council and Melbourne Water. Rain facilitated targeted technical workshops to align the broader project team on flood constraints, model assumptions, and opportunities for integrated water solutions.

The work goes beyond standard model updates by incorporating the latest climate-change guidance, validating existing overland flow path mapping, and proactively exploring runoff-reuse and integrated water-management opportunities that can shape precinct-scale design outcomes.

Rain:

• Updated and optimised hydrologic and hydraulic models for the Coburg precinct, ensuring accuracy and relevance to current conditions.
• Incorporated contemporary rainfall intensity and climate-change scenarios to futureproof model outputs.
• Mapped flood behaviour to inform safe floor levels, site access, and egress thresholds for future development.
• Ran collaborative workshops with MGS Architects, Merri-bek City Council and Melbourne Water to test urban-design configurations and agree on key constraints.
• Identified critical flow hotspots affecting redevelopment areas.

The early-phase modelling established a clear, defensible platform for subsequent design stages, ensuring future layouts are compatible with the precinct’s hydrologic behaviour and resilient to climate impacts.

The work aligned stakeholders around key flood constraints, reduced uncertainty in redevelopment planning, and de-risked later concept development.

By validating and refining existing modelling and highlighting integrated water-management opportunities, the project is positioned for well-informed option testing and long-term sustainable outcomes for the Coburg precinct.

Helping transform central Coburg into a climate-ready precinct by integrating flood resilience, urban design and water-sensitive thinking from the earliest stages of planning.