FLINDERS ST STATION DESIGN
DEVELOPMENT DESIGN COMPETITION, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
DEVELOPMENT DESIGN COMPETITION, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
PEL entered the international competition to develop the iconic Flinders St Station site in Melbourne.
Cities are complex organism’s that feed on human interaction and manifest in a multiplicity of layers. The manifestations of these layers occurs over years, decades and centuries and include aspects both tangible and intangible from the social, economic and physical landscapes. This design intervention seeks to peel back these layers through an independent interrogation of forces that abut, disturb and engage with the Flinders Street Station site.
The composition that is revealed is then measured against the four major principles of environmental sustainability, aesthetic appeal, improved amenity and controlled growth, this concept has been developed from international best practice in urban planning, regeneration and development in other cities such as Curitiba, Barcelona, and London.
The resultant building form is dynamic and multi-layered, synonymous with how cities develop over centuries and is wholly expressed by the site’s relationship to the surrounding urban fabric. What may appear as an assortment of random structures is instead a carefully considered collection of buildings derived from a logical sequence of contextual slices that pay homage to the following: key view lines, heritage considerations, solar penetration during the winter months and the pattern of the rail tracks and adjacent streets. This sculpted effect is the ultimate recognition of the symbiotic relationship between architecture and its context.
The final layer that binds the building form is the extrapolation of six programmatic strings throughout the building representing the sinew that binds the building skin. These contiguous strings promote a visual layering of functions throughout the entire development encouraging random interactions and chance encounters. This forced cross-pollinisation engenders both physical and social interest throughout the development.
