2012_Architecture_Federation_Square

 Federation Square (also known as Fed Square) is a civic center and cultural precinct in the city of the Melbourne CBD, and also finally was opened in 2002. It is Victoria’s second most popular tourist attraction, with over 9 million visits in 2011. Federation square is directly opposite Flinder Street Station and St Paul's Cathedral.

A competition for the best design of Fed Square was announced and held by Jeff Kennett in 1997, it received 177 entries from around the world. The design was to connect Flinders Street to the Yarra River and to improve and modernise the area, as it has many heritage buildings around it (such as St Paul's Cathedral and Flinders Street Station). Many designs were put through (which included entries from high profile architects) and were displayed to the public. But the winner, however, was announced also in 1997, the winner was the group of 'Lab Architecture Studio', directed by Donald Bates and Peter Davidson from London (and local architects Battes Smart). The original design, which costed roughly between $110 and $128 million included several five-storey "shards", two of which were free-standing on the north-western edge of the precinct. These two buildings were made to provide a good view of St Paul's Cathedral from the St Paul's Court, (part of the new plaza). A series of organized lane-ways and stairways wereconnect Flinders Street to the Yarra River with the open square showing a large TV screen for public events.

The Giant Screen
A key part design is a large public screen, which has been used to broadcast major sporting events (such as the AFL Grand Final and The Fifa World Cup). During these events, thousands of fans come together to watch matches on the screen.

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