herzog & de meuron flinders street station wins competition

herzog & de meuron flinders street station wins competition
image © herzog & de meuron
all images courtesy of flinders street station design competition

herzog & de meuron flinders street station propose wins competition.
the swiss firm herzog & de meuron will collaborate with australian architects at HASSELL as well as london-based heritage consultants purcell to help complete the GBP historic building’s redevelopment.

‘we are excited that our first project in australia will be a truly public building with such a rich history and inspiring context.’ says herzog & de meuron. ‘the proposal underscores the civic nature of a train station by complementing it with cultural and public functions rather than purely commercial activities.’

herzog and de meuron in conjunction with HASSELL have proposed a vaulted network for the AUD $1 million flinders street station design competition. the gestalt of the architecture is the repetition of lattice-like vaults that fracture light over the reorganized interior concourse. the brief called for the preservation of the historical station building; a requirement met by the introduction of dynamic and considered circulation throughout the site. the existing interior spaces, which are mostly closed from public usage, will be re-opened, through the incorporation of various cafes, bars, retail and services. the strong architectural identity of the historic building remains intact with the interior ballroom, gymnasium, and adjacent rooms of the administration building re-appropriated for melbourne festivals. the scheme’s grand civic gesture is a large plaza and amphitheater opening the station to the river’s edge – providing seating, performance and event life. the pedestrian entrances along this facade also help to break the linearity of the site. the new proposal gives the city of melbourne a place-making cultural facility with a world class gallery for oceanic and contemporary art. the banana alley vaults – originally conceived as a market storage space for local produce – reconnect the western and southern end to the main station plaza, with key pedestrian transit routes. see the full shortlist of the flinders street station design competition, which includes proposals by zaha hadid and grimshaw architects, on designboom here.

aerial view of the station showing the surrounding city context
image © herzog & de meuron

the vaulted roof network is is a repeated and open form that follows the diverging tracks below
image © herzog & de meuron

the grand civic gesture of the proposal is a large open plaza and amphitheater
image © herzog & de meuron

the lattice-like vaults fracture light over the reorganized interior concourse
image © herzog & de meuron

the station is a main transport hub for melbourne city
image © herzog & de meuron

the new proposal respects the existing heritage building and re-opens it for public usage
image © herzog & de meuron

a new world class gallery for oceanic and contemporary art is located above the historic banana alley vaults
image © herzog & de meuron

a western market links the station, retail and heritage building directly to the main plaza
image © herzog & de meuron

the western entrance is a main point for commuters to circulate into the station
image © herzog & de meuron

view from federation square showing the entrance to the eastern concourse
image © herzog & de meuron

the flexible plaza space connects the site directly with the yarra river
image © herzog & de meuron

view of the existing banana alley vaults and new oceanic art gallery above
image © herzog & de meuron

the centrally located station respects the linearity of the site as a strong marker between the CBD and the yarra river
image © herzog & de meuron

the primary spaces in the existing administration building will be brought back into public use
image © herzog & de meuron