Architecture Platform and Track Layout

Question: Discuss about theArchitecturefor Platform and Track Layout. Answer: Introduction The government saw the need to construct a new central passenger station that would replace ad-hoc construction that existed by then hence the construction of Flinders Street Station. Flinders Street Station, an icon of the culture of Melbourne is treated as a symbol of the capital of Victoria since time memorial. More often than not, the building is used as an imaginary representation of Melbourne city and the popular quotes used in Melbourne Ill meet you in the steps and Ill meet you under the clocks resulted from the clocks found at the main entrance. These clocks are used to show the departure times of the trains depending on the lines they are running1. Flinders Street Station was constructed between 1905 and 1910. It was designed by HPC Ashworth and James Fawcett who were employees of the railway, a contract which was awarded on a competitive basis and involved seventeen architects. The design of the location of the entrance, platform and track layout, platform roofing type, room layouts and even the concourses had already been decided hence the competition was just for an appropriate building2. The architects named the design Green Light and borrowed heavily from the French Renaissance style which was composed of a tall clock tower and a large dome. The tower and the large dome was one of the unique features of this building. A three-arched roof that ran from east to west over the survives of the concourse was yet another attractive feature in this design. The construction was done in phases and by two different contractors. Peter Rodger who was a Ballarat builder was the one awarded the initial tender but was terminated in 1908 after the company recorded very slow progress in the construction process which was blamed in the contractor. Royal Commission took over the construction in May 1910 to completion. [1]Construction of the domes commenced in 1906 and it involved massive and strong foundation in its structure since it was extended over the railway tracks2. Initially, it was intended that the facades of the building be done in stone but this changed during the construction as stone was thought to be too expensive and instead red brick rendered with cement was adopted for use in the main building. On the Flinders Street side on the ground level, grey granite was used for numerous details so as to display the significance of this great public work. The southern faade of the principal building as well had a unique material finish. Lightweight timber frame with zinc sheets cladding painted in red was adopted. This aimed at turning the balconies which were inside in the train shed into corridors as opposed to open access areas that they would otherwise have been. The gate at the southern front was constructed using lightweight timber clad. To make the bricks used on this facade look big, zinc sheets which were painted in red color were scored into the blocks3. The first three floors of the principal building contain the largest number of rooms with most of them being located at the frontage of Flinders Street. These rooms are mainly to serve the purposes of the railway even though there are provisions for emergency as well. Ticket windows are constructed at each entry points of the station. The interiors of the building are very spacious allowing both visual and spatial continuity. The building encompasses numerous elements among them curves, lines, planes (both vertical and horizontal) as well as masses. These different elements are well organized by the architect to bring out a building that stands out as one element and not an antagonizing structure. The differences in the surface finishes of all the elevation created a different feeling as one moves around the building thereby eliminating dominance of a specific element or feature4. The strategies of design and architectural language of this building have their origin from the immediate context of the site and its place within Melbourne city. The reorganization of the station is in such a way that the historic fabric has been restored and revered. The final design concisely responded to the diversity in the site conditions including the city, the surrounding riverbank and the Federation Square. This can be illustrated from the patterns of the underpasses, bridges, vaults and the way in which the park has been oriented toward an organic movement between the river and the city5. The manner in which these features are stitched together in the design as well display the contextual relevance of the design. The architect managed to successfully harmonize the diverse site by ensuring each of the facades of the building responded appropriately and excellently to the nature of the site for which it was in contact with. The building thus turned out to be in harmony both within itself and with the contextual setting on which it sat. The design also facilitated a civic precinct which was friendly to pedestrians by creating important linkages that were referenced to the key nodes of the Federation Square and the concourse thereby giving the square a new outlook6. This ensured a preserve of the cultural heritage of the dwellers of the city of Melbourne. [2] The decision to relocate the concourse opened the stations eastern edge generating a classic covered public space opposite the Federation Square. The orientation of the building contributed greatly to the revitalization of the important components of heritage thus enhancing a view of the historic built fabric. The interior spaces provided at the major transition nodes between Flinders Street and the concourse give strategic mechanisms that allow for new activities on the site. These transition nodes also give opportunities for fresh public functions to this part of the city7. A new riverscape is created by the expansion of the riverbank that contains double height vaults of brick, entry points and retail tenancies. The patterns of the openings of the building create and increase high degrees of porosity of the building, a feature exhibited by the town as well8. References Boyd, Robin. The Puzzle of Architecture. Melbourne: Cambridge Uni. Press, 2015. Brown-May, Andrew. Federation Square. Washington: Hardie Grant Publishing, 2013. Davies, Jenny. Beyond the Facade: Flinders Street, More Than Just a Railway Station. London: Jenny Davies, 2009. Fairfax, Vicki. A Place Across the River: They Aspired to Create the Victorian Arts Centre. Panama: Macmillan Education AU, 2012. Goad, Philip. Melbourne Architecture. Manchester: Watermark Press, 2007. Holdings, Allia. Flinders Street Station: Melbourne's Festival Marketplace. Kansas: Allia Holdings, 2011. Maitland, Barry. The new architecture of the retail mall. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 2010. Perren, Claudia. Expanded Architecture At The Rocks. New York: Lulu.com, 2013.