Flinders Street Station
The Victorian Government called the international architecture community for design ideas for Flinders Street Station. We, and a lot of other firms, answered. We proposed to reinvigorate the original heritage building by removing the transport staff offices and turning it back to public use in the form of civic and retail functions. Removing all office functions from the building would allow the public back into the main building at Flinders Street Station, including the ballroom that has since been used for some excellent exhibitions, including housing the work of Patricia Piccinini in 2021. Exhibitions like this are the activation we wanted, and we hope it continues for the rest of the heritage building.
Having proposed to save the heritage building, we proposed a mixture of towers, small, medium and large, on the western side over the railway tracks, the opening of the vaults at ground level to activate the river connection, and then finally, a giant swimming pool that cantilevers over the Yarra River. The swimming pool was a highlight for the scheme, allowing a playful idea that we might enjoy the Yarra River frontage for a bit more summer recreation. The towers span the railway tracks and have a geometric fishnet pattern, which directly references the station's older times when it was also used as a fish market.
Further reading of our scheme and how we might have bent the competition rules slightly can be found here: Keep out: Flinders Street designers warned of no-go zone (theage.com.au) and here: Architecture rebels reveal Flinders Street Competition entries | Architecture & Design (architectureanddesign.com.au)
