Federation Square

Federation Square is the creation of a new urban order on a site that has never before existed. more than just a new set of buildings, federation square is the new centre of cultural activity for melbourne. fulfilling the long held dream for a large, open public gathering space in melbourne, federation square has given the citizens of victoria an authentic civic destination. in the true spirit of federation, this design brings together distinct elements and activities that form a complex ensemble based upon the collective and the unique.

Within an architecture of difference and coherence, the design has brought together disparate institutions and allowed their true differences to be registered in the developed geometries, while also maintaining a visual and formal coherence across the site. importantly, the design has also sought to produce a cultural and civic precinct based on permeability, allowing for the interaction of visitors, precinct workers and the passerby.

Federation Square is the re-affirmation of the original interactive nature of civic existence. rather than a closed enclave of controlled and regulated activities, this project creates a network of animated, emotive and enlightening experiences. federation square has integrated a broad range of civic, cultural and commercial activities, responding to the vitality and openness of daily life.
the project for federation square demanded the design of a new civic square for melbourne, capable of accommodating up to 35,000 people in an open-air amphitheatre, with cultural and commercial buildings as part of the precinct. the cultural and commercial facilities combine for almost 44,000 m2. they include new galleries for the national gallery of victoria: australian art, the australian centre for the moving image, with offices, studios and galleries for the australian centre for the moving image (a state cultural organisation promoting film, television and new media), and the melbourne facilities of SBS radio and television, with numerous restaurants, cafes and a book and music store. all of this exists on a site of 3.6ha, equivalent to the construction of a new city block for melbourne.

The civic plaza of federation square (7,500 m2 & external landscaping 10,000 m2) has been programmed to provide the new civic heart for melbourne. the plaza, and federation square in general have been developed as the locus and orientation point for melbournians and for regional and international visitors alike. the civic plaza has been developed to operate as a compound spatial figure, with multiple points of activity and focus. at the same time it can operate as a single activity space, focused towards the stage and large video screen. it is a key for the entire project, establishing precise and varying relationships with the acknowledged diverse context of the city and landscape around the site, and for those buildings within it.

In the year since the project has opened, federation square has exceeded all expectations to become australia’s biggest tourist desitination. originally projected to have up to 4 million visitors, the precinct has had more than 6.5 million. the NGVA has welcomed more than 2 million visitors. the ACMI, a new institution without an existing audience, has had more than 1.2 million visitors. federation square has become the new centre - the new social, political and cultural heart of melbourne.

Published on the paperless book piel.skin
Pages 24-26