# MELBOURNE | Flinders Street Station Redevelopment



## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

The most important station in Melbourne (and the third busiest in Australia) is falling to bits, even though it is the most iconic symbol of the city. The Government has launched a design competition with entries from some of the biggest architecture companies in Australia and the world. You can have your say on which one you like by voting through the attached URL! 

Related article:


> *Flinders Street Station designs revealed*
> http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/flinders-street-station-designs-revealed-20130723-2qfc5.html
> 
> Six ambitious new designs to propel Flinders Street Station into the 21st century will be unveiled to the public today.
> ...


*Entry No. 1*

NH Architecture (Melbourne)























































*Entry No. 2*

Zaha Hadid (London) + BVN Archtecture (Melbourne)


















































[/QUOTE]

*Entry No. 3*

EDUARDO VELASQUEZ + MANUEL PINEDA + SANTIAGO MEDINA (Melbourne)






















































*Entry No. 4*

Ashton Raggatt McDougall (Melbourne)















































*Entry No. 5*

John Wardle Architects (Melbourne_ + Grimshaw (London)






http://vote.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/entrant/john-wardle-architects-grimshaw














































*Entry No. 6*

Hassell (Melbourne) + Herzog & De Meuron




























































All photos and videos are publicly accessible from the Major Projects Victoria website. You can find out more and VOTE here:

http://vote.majorprojects.vic.gov.au


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## spiralout (Jul 16, 2008)

I think its worth mentioning what it was originaly meant to look llike with a roof and swanston st side completed








http://broadsideblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/melbourne_flinders_st__station.jpg









http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/private/FlindersSSPlatformRoof.jpg

IMO they should stick to the original


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## Chad (Oct 10, 2002)

ZAHA looks impressive


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## spiralout (Jul 16, 2008)

original design


















http://picsandstuff.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/flinders-street-station-2012.jpg


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## essendon bombers (Apr 27, 2008)

Flinders Street Design Competition – My Thoughts

General

n general, I like all the designs but I think each needs some refining to get the best design out of its idea. My opinions are based on watching each entrant’s two minute video plus the pictures posted on here from it. 

It seemed that only two entrants though about uses for inside the heritage Admin building which surprised me given talk of a disused ballroom; everyone thought about wider scope of activities within the whole precinct. When assessing the designs I thought that the transport functionality aspect was constant across all designs since the State Government has not given direction of their expected handling capacity in the future; as in how many platforms are required and at what point will the Metro tunnel take pressure off this station. 

I appreciate the time, effort and work put in by each entrant to their vision of our great railway station, to define it for this century, and to make it a landmark for Melbourne.

Design A – NH Architecture (Melbourne)

The roof is the first thing that strikes me about this design. I like it but think it will be better with curviness. A lot of modern design in Melbourne comes with acute angles and don’t want too many. The second thing is the shapes in the design: reverse Z + square + triangle which is good feature from a bird’s eye view. The Hamer Hall link improves cross town connectivity but riverside and tram side connectivity is not a strong point; just looks the same as today. It’s a bit of this, bit of that design, the Z shaped building I presume to help pay for the construction, a triangular park with a great view towards Southbank. The Melbourne Room is a good innovation as long as it maintains its adaptability as promised by the entrant. This one sits in the middle of my list.

Design B – Zaha Hadid (London) + BVN Archtecture (Melbourne)

Awesome design! Slick! Reminds me of Frankfurt Airport Hbf completed a few years ago. Don’t think it will win the public though. There’s a lot to love: the flow, the angled building to the river, the curves and the waviness, and the space between the heritage and the modern. It has the openness that interfaces with Fed Square; and the riverside amphitheatre also a feature of design F. Plenty of public space for shopping, cafes and bars. However I was left wondering what was meant to be inside 6 storey building as the video seemed to show a lot of space and little else – the answer is office space, shops and bars. It is also unfortunate that this design blocks the view of the heritage station from Southbank. At platform level we seem to have new floor and the usual furniture, but the choice of white as colour, the spaciousness brings in the light and overall creates a better environment – wonder how it will feel at night? I really like this design for its boldness, and the potential for this (flow) shape to be associated with Melbourne.

Design C – EDUARDO VELASQUEZ + MANUEL PINEDA + SANTIAGO MEDINA (Melbourne)

My favourite! I love the vertical integration, the greenery, the trees and the park. It has the interaction with Fed Square, the riverside transfer connectivity and some flow. The glass roof provides some shelter when wet. Love the courtyard theme when you enter the station, where you swipe your train ticket, and at platform level; it brings the park into the railway station! The parkland continues west through the so called urban forest and into the west end. The railway museum inside the Admin building is a good idea, but I think the idea of the station market as in design F is better as it would bring more regular visitors. The architects have thought about how it looks at night too. The only concern I have is about the brown building at the west end. What is its use? Just like design B I think apartments, shops, cafes. I don’t mind the shape and location of the brown building but it could be a better building – what about colour and style continuation with the Admin building and its bricky creamy colour? Just love the integration between station and park with an open top.

Design D – Ashton Raggatt McDougall (Melbourne)

What are these guys thinking?? This is a railway station not a high school and will easily confuse tourists. Bit sceptical of the basketball court, heaps of places around the city to build a basketball court, don’t need one there. I love the roof with colourful gardens and birdlife on top but wonder will the cockatoos and rosella come to the party; how will the roof look without colourful plant life and birdlife? On the riverside I love the green walls and green support structures. It will be a very pleasant walk along there but nowhere to bring a boat alongside. Shelter all the way to the tramway is comforting as long as Swanston Bridge remains closed to traffic. The best thing I like about this proposal is the roof from under it; however it feels like Spencer St on the ground with concrete platforms, no greenery, and the curvy bubbly nature of the roof. 

Design E – John Wardle Architects (Melbourne_ + Grimshaw (London)

This is perhaps my least favourite out of the designs. Compared to the other this design comes across to me as without a wow factor. Maybe this is what the people of Melbourne really want so it’s the winner. I can see more London in this design than Melbourne, especially with the brickwork of the vaults. The arches sloping north east could funnel the winds through into the station precinct on a cold day which would be counterproductive to feeling good inside the station. Maybe the arches could slope northwest. The park on top is really nice and big, maybe an ideal spot to launch a hot air balloon, but I think the park in Design C is better. The attempt at connectivity between river way and railway station is really good. The idea of the design museum is not bad but do we need it at the railway station? The eastern entrance is spacious and kind of represents an expansion of Fed Square west into the station. The decision to strategically reposition the main concourse in to the centre of the station is probably a positive overall but takes away from tramway connectivity at Swanston St. How will the station look at night?

Design F – Hassell (Melbourne) + Herzog & De Meuron

My third favourite - love the design of the roof in trying to keep with the original station design. The whiteness makes the station feel light, airy, spacious and welcoming even with multiple half-tubes running the length of the roof. At platform level it seems a bit like Spencer St (like design D) but at least according to the renders the platform floors are remade. The small riverside amphitheatre is a great idea to watch an up and coming band or read a book in the sun and according to the video opens up with views of both the city and Southbank. I love the market under the roof at the western end and though wouldn’t it be nice if the Queen Victoria Market moved down here if it is practical. The art gallery area of temporary exhibitions would be an addition to the design of the station, from the market it would be nice to wander down there. Tram side and riverside connectivity is the same as design A.


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## Melb_aviator (Aug 28, 2007)

I seem to like bits and pieces of all of them but none are perfect.

The more I look at it, design C is becoming my favourite but I can't see it being a viable option to build. The NH design is my 2nd fav but the bridge is both an unnecessary cost and visual distraction on an already crowded part of the river.

The Zara Hadid design does little to interact with the heritage building and seems to overpower it. Maybe that could be something to go in docklands or Federation Square East but not sure it's right for this site.


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## MarkusErikssen (Oct 4, 2005)

I think I like all of them, but Zaha is stunning.


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## tiggyinmelbs (May 6, 2013)

Zaha Hadid (London) + BVN Archtecture (Melbourne)


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## bozenBDJ (Jul 18, 2012)

I like all of them especially the # 2 , 3 , and 6 proposals  . (number sequence based on the OP)


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## Singidunum (Jul 25, 2004)

Chad said:


> ZAHA looks impressive


Perhaps for a new project. But even then it's less impressive than any average Chinese small town railway station project in the recent years.

But here the idea is not to pick the most impressive project on its own, I think the essential part of this project is not to be rude to heritage but to keep the old station as the dominating structure while updating the railway moment. Also proper river relationship should be created.

Thus the Hassell + Herzog & De Meuron project is the best. Additionally it's the only one that doesn't look like a shopping mall or a suburban business center. It looks like a classic train station. 

EDUARDO VELASQUEZ project is a good idea, placing park above the tracks, but the overall design is too busy and looks like it landed from the 1980s or before.

John Wardle Architects is also interesting, but a bit confusing and has too many new objects that could overshadow the existing structure. 

Ashton Raggatt McDougall and NH Architecture are just mediocre at best.

I agree the original design is better than everything proposed here.


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## Singidunum (Jul 25, 2004)

This is how these projects would actually look like

John Wardle Architects + Grimshaw









Ashton Raggatt McDougall









HASSELL + Herzog & de Meuron










Eduardo Velasquez + Manuel Pineda + Santiago Medina










NH and Zaha didn't bother to share the elevations. No wonder with Zaha, surely she doesn't want that monstrosity seen in perspective.


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## bozenBDJ (Jul 18, 2012)

The Hassell + H&dM proposal wins! :banana::banana::banana: 

The Flinders Street Station Winning Proposal / HASSELL + Herzog & de Meuron
_from archdaily.com_ | Source: 
http://www.archdaily.com/413042/the...listed-proposal-hassell-herzog-and-de-meuron/



> The winning proposal for the Flinders Street Station competition comes from *HASSELL* + *Herzog & de Meuron. *The design integrates the station with the surrounding urban context, which has evolved and changed significantly since the building was designed 100 years ago. The station concept draws from many aspects – the site’s historic fabric, location, and linear nature; the original 19th century design and existing heritage fabric; the river and city edge, rail, public and river-based operations as well as the station’s place within the city fabric and public realm. More images and architects’ description after the break.
> 
> Courtesy of HASSELL + Herzog & de Meuron _From the Architect. _This proposal updates the station for the 21st Century, turning it from a place to hurry through to a destination. The overall design merit of the proposal can be seen in a new, major public art gallery, public plaza, amphitheatre, marketplace, and a permanent home for arts and cultural festival organisations. But we have also delivered the glory of the first 19th Century design for Flinders Street Station.
> Courtesy of HASSELL + Herzog & de Meuron Transport function is greatly improved, with new or improved concourses making it easier to get in and out. New weather-proof vaulted roofs flood the platforms with dappled, natural light and ventilation. Taxi ranks are relocated to Flinders Street and the tram stop between the station and Federation Square redesigned to improve the connection across St Kilda Road. A bike path under the station through the old western concourse links cycle ways on the river and Elizabeth Street.
> ...


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## little universe (Jan 3, 2008)

^^

I genuinely like the amphitheatre in that proposal. It'll make to a new meeting point choice list in melbourne...ohhhh...and an idea place to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks too (along with the Feds Square and the Docklands)!  :cheers:


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## bozenBDJ (Jul 18, 2012)

^^ Me too  A Great design overall  .


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

It wasn't one of my favourite designs. I think the new arches is a good idea - but instead of having 6 or 7 of them, they should have 3 or 4 large ones with an impressive height. 

The amphitheatre is a good idea though. It'd be used lots for special events. 

FSS as it stands is pretty terrible. It's very historic and much of the old building is crumbling. I really hope they redevelop the tunnels underneath, they have a lot of character and heritage. Great Victorian tile and stone work.


















http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Y90iQauC3.../3XvNUL8GoH0/s1600/FSS+Degraves+St+subway.jpg


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## jaysonn341 (Mar 19, 2012)

I like the NH or Hassell design. Zaha's design looks like something that could be built in Beijing, but not in Melbourne.


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## el palmesano (May 27, 2006)

city_thing said:


> *Entry No. 6*
> 
> Hassell (Melbourne) + Herzog & De Meuron
> 
> ...



seems nice... but others projects looks better


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## plotstyle (Jan 28, 2004)

May never happen

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/herzog-de-meuron-hassell-s-flinders-street-station


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