ARM's flinders st. station proposal features rippling waves

ARM’s flinders st. station proposal features rippling waves
image © ashton raggatt mcdougall
all images courtesy of flinders street station design competition

local australian firm ARM have proposed a roof with traveling rippled waves for the flinders street station design proposal. the morphological structure fills the vague terrain between the river and melbourne’s defined hoddle grid, an orthogonal modular urban plan unique to the city. the new envelope’s curving form is derived from the strong architectonic lines found in both the existing heritage building and the unrealized aspects of original competition design. in the spirit of both respecting and maintaining the cultural significance of the site, the scheme effectively links the city and the river. a robust and environmentally sustainable solution comes in form of a large-scale undulating garden roof – capable of creating a great diversity of vegetation types. this new emergent condition between city and waterfront synthesizes both urban and natural worlds while still benefiting the surrounding area. the main architectural gesture is a network of glazed skylights that filter light through down to passenger services, waiting and arrival areas and enhance the building’s ephemeral experience.

scheme effectively links the city and the river
image © ashton raggatt mcdougall

the existing administration building is reimagined and repurposed as a secondary school, which hearkens to a more glorious heyday reinstating the structure’s public significance. the historic banana alley vaults act as the centerpiece for the new precinct and the western site’s forthcoming commercial development. an extended western concourse distributes passengers along the length of the platforms and eases pedestrian flow across the site. the connection to from south bank to the CBD is greatly increased by greening queens bridge and converting it for pedestrian and bicycle use.

large-scale garden roof is capable of creating a great diversity of vegetation types
image © ashton raggatt mcdougall

the site’s liminal condition makes it an alternate space in the current city fabric, located between metropolitan areas and the waterfront, it is a prime location for a new planning typology for melbourne. the transport hub itself is a place where people are either waiting or on-the-go. ARM’s scheme draws from this, reinterpreting the water at the site’s edge, as it morphs, self generating and defining its own boundaries. federation square follows this same mutating order and serves as a key point of connection to the new eastern concourse. reconfigured circulation links and increased pedestrian permeability across the site, include a new river walk, which allows spectacular views across the yarra river. the surrounding transportation networks are improved through new inter-modal integrations, helping to redefine a sense of place in the city.

see the full shortlist of the flinders street station design competition, including proposals by zaha hadid and grimshaw architects here and vote for your favorite entry on the competition website now through august 5th.

the new envelope’s curving form is based on the original competition design that was never fully realized
image © ashton raggatt mcdougall