merging perspectives rmit x lendlease competition
what is merging persperctives? This design gives three ‘perspectives’ of Melbourne. The project proposes a merging of history, present, and future by looking at the local stories and legends, the materials and the communities. The site is located at an intersection of old and new Melbourne, both literally and figuratively. It is the site that John Batman first claimed that this would be ‘a good place for a village’. The Spencer Street Viaduct, built in 1836 and an icon of this part of the city, stands opposite the Southbank and Crown Casino, two new iconic locations. Looking East we see the birth of Melbourne, Batman’s vision and the city grid. To the West, we see the New Melbourne in the Docklands and the proposed Melbourne Quarter. Throughout its history, Melbourne has always been expanding, creating evolving. The corners of the city are expanding, the moveable boundaries pressing beyond the grid. The site is located just below the viaduct, on the South West corner of the Spencer Street and Flinders Street intersection. It is the gateway to the New Melbourne, perched on the horizon of the city grid, soon to be the heart of it. As it is, it lacks connection – to the inhabitants, to the city, and to its future. The Yarra has always been the life force of this land. For the Wurundjeri people, it was Birrarung, place of mist and shadows, and later the site ‘bought’ for a few blankets and shirts by John Batman. For Batman and the founders of Melbourne, it was ‘a place for a village’. With the construction of the Spencer Street Viaduct in the early 19th Century, the city was cut off from the river, visually and spiritually. How can the installation reconnect the city to the river – and perhaps encourage the surrounding communities to engage with the natural resources that first attracted people to this place.
Hoarding perspective//
By creating an optical illusion, the words ‘Melbourne’, ‘Birrarung’ and ‘Batmania’, come together. The words act as signifiers for various identities of the sit. Using anamorphic projection, the word – a new historical perspective – is revealed.
birrarung perspective//
batmania perspective//
melbourne perspective//
exploded programmed axonometric//
DETAIL 01 90x90 structural marine ply 90x90 structural marine ply painted black existing brick pillar existing steel bridge frame proposed solar unit to power LED lights at night proposed solar panel on pole dependent on solar access
existing steel railing @ 800m high
existing ground brick pillar @ 200mm high
solar battery for lights at night
solar battery cabling access to lights
90 (w) x 15000 (l) x 2500 (h) structural marine ply painted black
LED light
2mm stramit flashing colour tbc
DETAIL 02
proposed lighting behind hoarding angled lightweight steel on specifically bent to create particular views
existing brick retaining wall
existing concrete & steel pillar
Material
Cost
Extra (s)
Perferated Sheeting
$477 x 25 = $11925
$2500 Extra - Folding
Steel Flashing
$30 x 25 = $750
$100 Extra - Labour
Solar Kit
$500 x 2 = $1000
TBC Extra - Delivery
LED Lighting
$8 x 25 = $200
TBC Extra - Delivery
Spray Paint
Approx $1 - $1000
TBC Extra
Sticker
Approx $500
TBC - Design
Budget Summary// From the information and quotes we have gathered from local companies and artists the most economical option is to use steel flashing as the skin, attached to a black timber hoarding. LED lights can be placed behind each peice of flashing allowing the space to create a sense of place 24/7, with a solar kit to create energy to be used during the night. The perspective writting can either be applied in spray paint by a local artist, or if possible a heavyweight sticker and be designed and printed, which can then be applied on the exterior skin.