Federation Square East

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Peruse the <a href="http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/project/federation-square-east/">Federation Square East</a> website and the shutters have been put up in accordance with the caretaker conventions of the forthcoming State election. Expressions of interest for the 3.3 hectare site have been open for slightly over two months, and as is the case with such pursuits, public information is scant although the parameters for the EOI campaign are anything but.

We have covered a number of <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/federation-square-east-an-urban-ecologies-perspective">conceptual designs for the site</a> which acts more as a nexus between water and skyline, and another has been presented by Georgina Tiernan. Currently with New York-based SHoP Architects and formerly with Fender Katsalidis architects, Georgina has presented Urban.com.au with her interpretation of Federation Square East with a heavy bias toward urban ecology.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/accamera_17aaa.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An atypical proposal. Image courtesy Georgian Tiernan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/accamera_17aaa.jpg?itok=Yozet-CI" title="An atypical proposal. Image courtesy Georgian Tiernan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An atypical proposal. Image courtesy Georgia Tiernan</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
This thesis project explores the increasing disconnection between urbanism and agriculture. The project aims to connect everyday urban life with agricultural food production and culture.

Bridging the Jolimont Railyards in Melbourne the project reconnects the city to the landscape by dissolving the hard urban edge of the city grid into the landscaped banks of the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr Park through new hybrids of agricultural/architectural form.

By morphing varying agricultural and urban program with architecture, the project explores a new productive architecture in which habitable space is placed in and amongst agricultural systems of food production to create environments that reveal the entire farm-to-table process to the city.
<cite><a href="http://georgina-tiernan.squarespace.com">georgina-tiernan.squarespace.com</a></cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/tower-view-1a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Tower view. Image courtesy Georgian Tiernan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="452" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/tower-view-1a.jpg?itok=1CI7VJlK" title="Tower view. Image courtesy Georgian Tiernan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Tower view. Image courtesy Georgian Tiernan</figcaption></figure>To see an extensive image set and further information on the Federation Square East proposal by Georgina Tiernan, visit her site at <a href="https://georgina-tiernan.squarespace.com/#/urban-ecologies-2/">georgina-tiernan.squarespace.com</a>.

<h2>Comment</h2>

Urban.com.au produces our fair share of concept designs, with towers featuring predominantly. Federation Square East on the other hand had the team leaning toward a different outcome; an outcome that is not necessarily tall but distinctive in its cutting edge, sustainable design; a showcase precinct if you will.

Does Melbourne really want or need another podium-tower typology to define this precinct? Let's hope those charged with selecting the successful consortium for Federation Square East do so in the knowledge that this site is like no other; it demands a unique statement that will further define Melbourne and provide a focal point much like the original Federation square did and continues to do. A concept such as Georgina Tiernan's fits the bill perfectly to our way of thinking!

Thinking outside the square. It's easier said than done!
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silvermb

Federation Square East: an Urban Ecologies perspective

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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/expert-insights/buying/fed-square-east-some-food-for-thought-part-one">Following on from part one</a> is the conclusion to the two part-icle that is by comparison a contrast in scale and ambition to yesterday's more modest offering and a far more commercially driven scheme.

Featured as part of a submission I entered for the <a href="http://www.iaac.net/">IAAC</a>'s 3rd Advanced Architecture Contest entitled The Self Sufficient City: Envisioning the Habitat of the Future. I was fortunate enough to have my entry included in the accompanying publication featuring 107 finalists from 34 countries; the only one from Australia which was quite a humbling experience. Even more so because the competition attracted 708 entries from over 118 countries.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/l_dragomir_east_gate_tower_render.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Mixed-use tower soars above the Fed Square East site."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="393" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/l_dragomir_east_gate_tower_render.jpg?itok=_fjPIHKC" title="Mixed-use tower soars above the Fed Square East site." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Mixed-use tower soars above the Fed Square East site.</figcaption></figure>My entry was for a systematic approach to re-thinking how the current Melbourne CBD operates and opportunities to enhance, renew and re-invent it through adaptation of existing infrastructure coupled with a concentration of high-rise development along and adjacent to rail corridors rather than a free for all.

Some of the driving forces and guiding principles behind this scheme were derived from the now defunct Melbourne 2030 plan. I have included an extract below:

<blockquote>
Melbourne 2030 – planning for sustainable growth is a 30-year plan to manage growth and change across metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding region. It emphasises the city’s interdependence with regional Victoria, to provide maximum benefit to the whole State.

In the next 30 years, Melbourne will grow by up to one million people and will consolidate its reputation as one of the most liveable, attractive and prosperous areas in the world for residents, business and visitors.

In establishing and articulating this vision through a set of Principles and nine Key Directions, Melbourne 2030 provides a framework for governments at all levels to respond to the diverse needs of those who live and work in and near to Melbourne, and those who visit.

Melbourne 2030 is a plan for the growth and development of the metropolitan area. An important objective is to ensure that Melbourne retains the qualities that people enjoy about it. Despite a slowdown in population growth, Melbourne will grow substantially over the next 30 years. It is appropriate to plan for the capacity to comfortably absorb up to 620,000 extra households over that time while protecting and enhancing our existing suburbs.

The main thrust is to continue to protect the liveability of the established areas and to increasingly concentrate major change in strategic redevelopment sites such as activity centres and underdeveloped land. While a good supply of land for development will be maintained in growth areas, over time there will be a shift away from growth on the fringe of the city.

This will help prevent urban expansion into surrounding rural land. The trend towards fewer people in each household will continue to support demand for well-located apartment lifestyles around activity centres. This will be supported by an expanded and more attractive public transport system.

Melbourne 2030 focuses primarily on the metropolitan Melbourne urban area and the nearby non-urban areas. However, it also deals more broadly with the wider region where, increasingly, development is linked to and affected by metropolitan Melbourne in terms of commuting, business and recreation. Hence, Melbourne 2030 also considers the area between metropolitan Melbourne and the regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, and the Latrobe Valley.

Economic, social and environmental matters are integral to Melbourne 2030, but it is not an economic development plan, a community development strategy or a comprehensive environmental management plan. Rather, it gives a high-level overview of the directions metropolitan Melbourne is expected to take. Its clear focus is the management of future growth, land use and infrastructure investment. It will provide a vital context for other sectoral plans in areas like transport and housing.

Why do we need to look ahead?

Victorians face important choices about how metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding region should develop in the next 30 years. Population and development pressures are changing the environment in which decisions have to be made, and are affecting the shape and the flavour of our city. Melbourne 2030 articulates a detailed plan that takes the long-term view and is based on consultation with the community.

Metropolitan Melbourne’s current shape reflects more than a century of work by those who developed the rail network from 1880 onwards, and by the generations of planners who crafted plans for the city since 1929 (see ‘Melbourne’s planning history’).

Melbourne 2030 builds on the earlier plans and the infrastructure we have inherited while responding to the new issues confronting us. It uses current views of the future and an understanding of the past as the basis for a long-term plan to mould the city.

It tackles these key questions – to which there are no simple or permanent answers:

<ul>
<li>how best can we provide for a growing population and ensure that we live within available resources of water, land and energy?</li>
	<li>how should development be focused and what pattern of land use and transport should we invest in for a better future?</li>
	<li>in which areas should we discourage or prevent development in order to retain the quality of natural environments across the Port Phillip and Westernport catchments and beyond?</li>
	<li>what changes should we make to our lifestyles, the technologies we use and the way we organise the city to reduce resource usage and our impact on our living environment?</li>
	<li>what additional social infrastructure will be needed to support a growing city, and how will we ensure this is available for all when it is needed?</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

While my scheme encompassed a greater area than the Fed Square East site including a re-imagined CBD, a revitalised Flinders Street and Northbank precinct, development of The Age and former Powerstation sites (keep in mind this was five years ago) and development of the airspace of the railyards north of Southern Cross Station.

For the purposes of this article I shall omit these aspects and focus on the Fed Square East site in addition to the eventual decking and development of the Jolimont railyards through to Richmond Station.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/l_dragomir_east_gate_site_plan.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Site Plan."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="364" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/l_dragomir_east_gate_site_plan.jpg?itok=l3hrYHB_" title="Site Plan." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Site Plan.</figcaption></figure><ol>
<li>Mixed-use tower</li>
	<li>Research offices and labs</li>
	<li>Market and East Gate train station</li>
	<li>Pedestrian promenade</li>
	<li>East gate Village</li>
	<li>Coleman Park</li>
	<li>Warne Wetlands</li>
</ol>
The scheme while much more commercially oriented built on similar themes and concepts than the FX Tension design. The origami eels are still evident in parts and contribute to the form and massing of the 70-storey tower and the NGV extension is still included.

To get an idea of the basis for this plan I have included text extracts from my submission; again I would really be pushing the limits of my memory to otherwise try and recall every minute detail and reasoning behind every design decision I made. An overall summary of the submission:

<blockquote>
The key principle being the idea of accommodating people in high density structures around activity centres, serviced by an extensive public transport system and bicycle network. This plan for Melbourne’s CBD is a template of sorts which could be applied to other activity centres in Greater Melbourne. Cars would be removed from the city centre, new train stations built, eco towers which generated they’re own power, collected, stored and recycled water and housed vertical farms through the use of hydroponics as well as a mix of housing and offices.

The 2030 version of Melbourne would best be described as a series of ‘suburbs’ and ‘vertical neighbourhoods,’ people wouldn’t need to travel great distances to get to work, school, shopping etc. all this would be possible either on foot or on bike. And when the need arose to travel greater distances the CBD’s trains and free trams rather than cars would be more than adequate. Open air car parks and the air space above railway lines would be developed, existing buildings particularly high rises would be upgraded, overhauled and adapted to and include other uses similar to the new ‘eco towers’.
</blockquote>

And the idea behind the East Gate precinct:

<blockquote>
The key component of the masterplan for the Melbourne CBD in 2030 is the redevelopment of the Jolimont railyards, which acts a physical and visual barrier between the Melbourne CBD and Yarra River.

The East Gate Precinct features a mix of office space, apartments, open space, shops at street level, a wetland, research labs for the development of sustainable technologies and materials, vertical farming, wind turbines, a landmark mixed-use tower, a market and a new train station to facilitate the new neighbourhood.

East Gate Precinct will be car free and will be serviced by trains and trams and residents and visitors will also be encouraged to walk or cycle. East Gate is to be used as a model for other transit oriented developments throughout greater Melbourne.

With a greater concentration of people in high density neighbourhoods, living and working within a 2km radius, reducing the need to travel great distances and should the need arise public transport would service this need.

With the population of Melbourne growing by approx. 1,000 people per week it is imperative that they are accommodated in areas serviced by public transport or where they are not required to commute large distances to work, live or relax, to reduce and eventually halt suburban sprawl.

The East Gate Precinct would also encourage greater community involvement in setting up and maintaining vertical gardens and farms within their own buildings and also encourage greater interaction between residents.

The buildings would collect rainwater, use recycled ‘grey’ water, and would be powered by wind turbines and solar panels incorporated on the roofs and into the facades of the buildings.
</blockquote>

With that in mind please enjoy the images below of East Gate. Until next time.
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Laurence Dragomir

Fed Square East: Some food for thought (Part Two)

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A couple of weeks ago Urban.com.au touched on some <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/design-requirements-that-will-define-federation-square-east">design requirements that would define Fed Square East</a>, prior to the release of the Expression of Interest campaign on September 15th.

In a two-part-icle (yes I just invented a new term) piece I jump in a time machine and travel back to my university days to take a look at two different schemes I developed during the course of my studies at RMIT. Each sets out to achieve various objectives based on a number of similar considerations relating to necessary program, sight lines, connections both physical and visual with the Yarra and a few Melbourne landmarks, althoughthe outcomes are hugely different.

The Federation Square East site is bounded by Federation Square/Russell Street to the west, Flinders Street to the north, Batman Avenue to the east and Birrarung Marr to the south and totals 3.3 hectares; 2.3ha above the rail lines and 1ha that is largely used for car parking.

The first concept was part of a design studio entitled FX-TENSION and was run very similar to a design ideas competition so the level of resolution at a micro scale wasn't as critical as the macro planning. The brief was to develop a proposal for a building or series of buildings which would bring together the three schools of architecture (at the time - Monash has since joined) under one roof, as well as an extension to the NGV's Ian Potter Centre housing the Oceania and Asia collections.

Additionally a commercial component was required to facilitate the development of the other areas as well as making the decking over the railyards viable. A theme of camouflage was carried throughout the semester and was to be the basis for any facade strategy employed.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/conceptual_render.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Conceptual Massing Study - Fed Square East."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="309" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/conceptual_render.jpg?itok=d2fX_F_c" title="Conceptual Massing Study - Fed Square East." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Conceptual Massing Study - Fed Square East.</figcaption></figure>I mention this as I believe one of the shortcomings of the Flinders Street Station competition was the viability of proposed schemes relative to their commercial components. As much as I love Hassell's scheme the likelihood of it seeing the light of day hinges on its commercial offering; in this case a museum and gallery.

The Government would never be able to deliver such a project on its own (particularly with a $2b price tag) so either a Public Private Partnership comes into play whereby a developer in all likelihood would reconfigure the western end of the station to accommodate a number of high-rises, or in the case of Fed Square East the site is handed over to the private sector to develop as they see fit with a number of criteria to be met before any formal engagement.

<blockquote>
This Expression of Interest (EOI) is an opportunity to convey your interest and demonstrate the capability, capacity and innovation necessary to deliver a vibrant and commercially viable mixed use development of exceptional design quality at FSE without a capital contribution or regulatory relaxation by Government.

The Government is seeking Submissions that identify and explain the intended approach to development, design and integration of mixed uses that will fulfil the vision for the FSE Site. This information will be used to identify a short list of Respondents who will be invited to participate in the subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP) stage of this Procurement Process.
<cite>Major Projects Victoria</cite>
</blockquote>

Without having seen the EOI documents for myself (you must register and log in to view them) one critical aspect that should be included in any future scheme is an extended Ian Potter Centre as per the brief we were given at university 6 years ago. Although this is rarely ever mentioned in the same breath as Fed Square East particularly in the media, the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ngv-push-for-landmark-gallery-extension/2007/09/21/1189881777512">NGV had already outgrown its current digs 7 years ago</a>.

<blockquote>
Indigenous art was popular with locals and tourists, and the Ian Potter Centre, just five years old, had run out of space. A dedicated indigenous wing would be a "massive drawcard" for Melbourne.

But as a gateway building, such a gallery had to be "highly distinguished, monumental and significant" architecture. "It cannot be done on the cheap," he said. Preliminary costings show that such a building could cost about $150 million.

Dr Vaughan said the NGV's idea for a new wing was in draft form only. It was developed in anticipation that government and business would eventually extend decking over the Jolimont rail yards. He said it was crucial that any such project include a major cultural component. "We would like to book some space on the deck that the government and private sector will build for some other entirely different purpose."

Dr Vaughan said the NGV needed more space for indigenous, Asian and oceanic art. A key attraction for such a gallery would be a large multi-media display of rock paintings from around Australia.
<cite>The Age September 22 2007</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Concept</h2>

The existing design for Fed Square has largely future proofed itself by way of the 'Crossbar' structure that begins in the undulating plaza as the offices for SBS, puncturing through the atrium and NGV before poking out on the eastern facade, setting up the future extension of the gallery over the Russell Street extension. So it was with that key objective in mind that I set about designing the complex: an extension for the NGV to house its Asian and Oceanic collections.

This manifested itself in a series of origami eels which were an evolution of Federation Square's 'filaments' that informed the formal and programmatic planning of spaces and buildings. Drawing upon the ideas and inspirations for the Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) artwork that sits within Birrarung Marr I combined these themes with an idea-gram produced earlier in the semester for the site.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/birrarung_wilam.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Birrarung Wilam and origami eels."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="402" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/birrarung_wilam.jpg?itok=k9C7y-Vk" title="Birrarung Wilam and origami eels." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Birrarung Wilam and origami eels.</figcaption></figure>The public spaces were also key to the design with an emphasis on good connections to the river via a large cascading series of steps down to the river and an extension of the footbridge through Birrarung Marr over the rail lines to Flinders Street and adjacent to a new north facing public space.

Rather than try and remember and regurgitate everything I did point by point I have decided to include the pages from my final presentation in the slideshow below which are lighter on text but visually (hopefully) quite easy to understand.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/fed-square-east-some-food-for-thought-part-two">Look out for part two tomorrow</a> for an alternate, more ambitious scheme I think befitting of Fed Square East.
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Fed Square East: Some food for thought (Part One)

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An Expression of Interest (EOI) campaign to develop Federation Square East is almost upon us, with a release on Monday 15 September 2014 slated. The 3.3 hectare site represents one of Melbourne's most crucial and intriguing development opportunities, with design and public realm parameters allowing for and seeking design excellence.

The development will effectively serve to develop the glaring hole in Melbourne riverfront vista, whilst also acting as a nexus between multiple city precincts.

Public opinion will vary wildly as to what should be delivered onsite, but the EOI document excerpts below go some way to providing guidance as to what the chosen scheme will entail.

<h2>Building design</h2>

<blockquote>
The preferred design outcome is to provide for a generally lower rise development commensurate with the human scale of Federation Square, with the inclusion of discrete, well-designed buildings of greater height in the appropriate locations.

The built form Design Guidelines require:

<ul>
<li>Consistency with the urban scale of Federation Square</li>
	<li>Some variety in height</li>
	<li>Active frontages</li>
	<li>Inviting, public interface to Birrarung Marr negotiating level differences</li>
	<li>Limited number of high buildings of exceptional design quality</li>
	<li>Greater height to be located to the north-east of the site</li>
	<li>Limited overshadowing</li>
	<li>Compliant with air space protection requirements</li>
</ul>
<cite><a href="http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/8578-MPV-Federation-Square-East-A4-8pp-Developers-Brochure-WEB-V2.pdf">Federation Square East EOI overview document</a></cite>
</blockquote>

On the face of it there seems to be much leeway in terms of tower height, should the respective entrant include the typology. "Some variety in height" is usurped by the need to be "Compliant with air space protection requirements" which Nicholas Harrison <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/flight-paths-and-tall-buildings-in-melbourne-explained">aptly explained</a>. In effect the door is open to deliver a scheme with a tower in the proximity of 300 metres should the applicant so desire.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image36fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Is there a better landmark Melbourne development opportunity? Image courtesy Major Projects Victoria"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="211" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image36fse.jpg?itok=At2OzD1v" title="Is there a better landmark Melbourne development opportunity? Image courtesy Major Projects Victoria" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Is there a better landmark Melbourne development opportunity? Image courtesy Major Projects Victoria</figcaption></figure><h2>Public realm</h2>

<blockquote>
Any development of the site is to contribute a significant improvement to the existing public realm by providing connections with adjoining areas, taking advantage of the site’s locale at a junction of the city, parklands, river, sporting and cultural precincts.

The nature and quality of the spaces on the site need to be carefully designed to offer diversity of uses and work as civic spaces and places in their own right. Generally the civic spaces should be intimate rather than catering for large gatherings, which are already served well by Federation Square.

The mixed-use project involving commercial, retail, residential and cultural uses will create:

<ul>
<li>Multiple north-south connections which are not regimented</li>
	<li>East-west connection from Federation Square</li>
	<li>Open to the sky and sun</li>
	<li>Views of the river and to the north</li>
	<li>Varied, highly considered open spaces of appropriate dimension</li>
	<li>Visual links within and through the site</li>
	<li>Protection of Russell Street and Exhibition Street view corridors</li>
</ul>
<cite><a href="http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/8578-MPV-Federation-Square-East-A4-8pp-Developers-Brochure-WEB-V2.pdf">Federation Square East EOI overview document</a></cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Comment</h2>

On the face of it Major Projects Victoria look to want another Federation Square-style development with connectivity to Birrarung Marr and the Hoddle Grid. They also seem cognizant that by handing the project over to private interests, a reasonable return on investment from the developer is expected over and above the cost of delivering the deck structure. Hence the ajar door for increased height.

There's a certain intangible to the design brief (height being the most obvious) which should allow for some hugely varied designs from a raft of local and international consortia. Interesting times ahead!

See the <a href="http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/8578-MPV-Federation-Square-East-A4-8pp-Developers-Brochure-WEB-V2.pdf">EOI overview document</a> for further details.
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Design requirements that will define Federation Square East

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What happened to Federation Square East (FSE)? Did it slide into the murky depths of the Yarra?

Last year the project had progressed to a point where EVOLVE Development founder Ron Walker was splashed across the media, drumming up support for $680 million bid to expand the precinct. Urban.com.au also knew of one of Australia's largest developers who had also prepared a submission with the intention of snaring the site for a landmark development.

Alas like Flinders Street Station's overhaul and the Jolimont Railyards decking project, Federation Square East has fallen off the radar. Major Projects Victoria website states "The feedback received from the market has been provided in an Options Analysis which is being considered by Government." Options Analysis, is that code for no time soon?

Prior to offering forward five existing designs that I feel if transplanted in Federation Square East would suit it perfectly, I'll assert that Federation Square East should be devoid of any tall (beyond 15 level) buildings. The delineation that Flinders Street provides should not be broken by excessive towers which for mine would detract from the built form balance that should only be enhanced by Federation Square East.

<h2>The chosen five</h2>

<h3>Jean Nouvel: Philharmonie de Paris</h3>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image3fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Jean Nouvel's Philharmonie de Paris. Image courtesy Dezeen Magazine"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="200" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image3fse.jpg?itok=x74UugfZ" title="Jean Nouvel's Philharmonie de Paris. Image courtesy Dezeen Magazine" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Jean Nouvel's Philharmonie de Paris. Image courtesy Dezeen Magazine</figcaption></figure>Modern and uniform in appearance, Jean Nouvel's <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/03/jean-nouvel-philharmonie-de-paris-spared-the-axe/">Paris Concert Hall</a> provides a stark contrast to the surrounding built form of Flinders Street and Federation Square itself. In situ at FSE and surrounded by greenery or other ancillary buildings, it would look incredible.

<h3>Asymptote: Kaohsiung Marine Gateway</h3>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image9fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A light and modern solution. Image © Asymptote"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="528" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image9fse.jpg?itok=tqkO-Exm" title="A light and modern solution. Image © Asymptote" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A light and modern solution. Image © Asymptote</figcaption></figure>Yes it's a harbour terminal but the notion remains the same. Asymptote's design transplanted at FSE would see a flowing, modern superstructure with multiple venues located under the one roof. Partly elevated, the complex would see greenery below the elevated elements while still providing an overall modern juxtaposition to its immediate surrounds.

<h3>Sériès et Sériès: Taichung City Cultural Center</h3>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image11fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Taichung City Cultural Center. Images courtesy Evolo"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="324" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image11fse.jpg?itok=XnChcqM6" title="Taichung City Cultural Center. Images courtesy Evolo" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Taichung City Cultural Center. Images courtesy Evolo</figcaption></figure>Bulky and economically unviable? Probably, but it is a statement! There's something enticing about having Birrarung Marr continue seamlessly into a new FSE

<blockquote>
The success of the cultural center lies in the ability of the built environment to actually inspire the residents to look beyond the common and expected, materialistic and the easily consumed, in favor of the stimulating and daring. The the Taichung Fine Arts Museum and Library is designed to become a sustainable landmark.
<cite>Evolo</cite>
</blockquote>

<h3>Striking a mix</h3>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image12fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="New Ordos Museum, Kaohsiung Port Terminal &amp; New Dalian Planning Museum . Images courtesy Evolo"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="296" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image12fse.jpg?itok=lO1SC5BL" title="New Ordos Museum, Kaohsiung Port Terminal &amp; New Dalian Planning Museum . Images courtesy Evolo" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>New Ordos Museum, Kaohsiung Port Terminal &amp; New Dalian Planning Museum . Images courtesy Evolo</figcaption></figure>Multiple architects contributing their individual design to FSE similar in scope and scale to what Zaha Hadid, RTA-Office and 10 Design have conceived above. Ideally FSE would not be seeded to a developer and likely single architect, rather transferred to a body such as Places Victoria (if they were in any way capable), who would in turn gather the best design put forward.

There's something captivating about having the best of the best selected designs side by side in such a prominent position... ahh wait reality is calling.

<h3>Peddle Thorp: Biocity</h3>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image10fse.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Biocity. Image © Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="295" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image10fse.jpg?itok=ISfizhcp" title="Biocity. Image © Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Biocity. Image © Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure>OK so it's a little old and completely out there but Melbourne-based Peddle Thorp ticked all the boxes with this 2008 concept for FSE.

<blockquote>
The Cycle of Life, closely linked to our most precious resource, formalises this urban extension above a city railyard. Composed of five blocks interconnected by a rainforest atrium, pedestrians are free to wander the whole of the ground level through public spaces designed as a plateau, canyon or valley.
<cite><a href="http://www.australiandesignreview.com/designwall/424-biospace">Australian Design Review</a></cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Why highlight Federation Square East</h2>

I've chosen buildings that convey a grand, almost homogenous exterior that clash nicely with the varied built form surrounding FSE. This is similar to what Herzog And De Meuron's <a href="http://www.evolo.us/architecture/highly-contextual-proposal-for-flinders-street-station-rejuvenation-herzog-and-de-meuron/">Flinders Street Station design</a> would have achieved with its singular roof structure.

Federation Square East is an incredibly rare opportunity to deliver a truly recognisable structure (avoiding the term landmark) rather than merely another skyscraper or the like. An opportunity to deliver something out of the box, or is that out of the rail yards? Just make it soon...
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