Federation Square - ACMI

Federation Square, known locally as Fed Square, is a cultural precinct in Melbourne and comprises a series of buildings containing a museum, art galleries, a public broadcaster, exhibition spaces, auditoria, cinemas, restaurants, bars and shops.

ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image

 

ACMI is a world-leading centre for experiencing the moving image in all its forms - film, television, and internet. All year round you can discover the riches of over a century of cinema, through film festivals, curated seasons and regular themed programs.

View from Flinders Street

 

Notice the unique sandstone building façade.

Alfred Deakin Building

 

The Alfred Deakin Building is home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), the Victorian State Governments film and screen culture organisation, and the Melbourne operations of SBS, Australia's multi cultural radio and television broadcaster.

The various facilities and services provided at the Alfred Deakin Building are assigned into the two different buildings. One is more enclosed, an almost windowless structure hosting the two cinemas, with a function space, digital lounge, retail space and cafe, while the other is more open containing the management offices, recording and broadcasting studios for SBS, as well as the corporate offices of ACMI, with theatrette, web-casting studio, electronic classroom, video production lab and numerous screen exhibition spaces.

Two different arcades have been used to provide public circulation within the building, as well as linkage and connection to the rest of Fed Square. The central arcade joins the two main buildings, providing both a Flinders Street and main Square level entry. The central arcade also forms the main foyer and circulation space that vertically connects all the functional components. The east arcade serves as a public connection to the Square, as well as providing an animation of the building through the temporal ebb and flow of people leaving the cinemas after each session.

Fed Square's Tiled Courtyard

Did you know there are almost half a million sandstone blocks in the main square and they were all hand laid? One cobble stone in the main square contains a prehistoric oyster shell.

Paved with 470,000 ochre-coloured sandstone blocks, these blocks are from the Kimberley in Western Australia and invoke images of the Outback. The paving is designed as a huge urban artwork called 'Nearamnew', by Paul Carter and gently rises above street level, containing a number of textual pieces inlaid in its undulating surface.

Inlaid Artwork

Flinders Street Entrance

 

This view was taken from the corner of Russell Street and Flinders Street looking west towards Flinders Street Station.

360º view of Fed Square

Federation Square is huge and is bordered by Flinders, Swanston, and Russell Streets and the Yarra River. The open public squares are directly opposite Flinders Street Station to the west with St Paul's Cathedral to the north. The layout of the precinct connects the historical central district of the city with the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr. This refocusing of the city on the Yarra River reinforces links with the Southbank district, which is on the west side of Swanston Street and south of Flinders Street. (The above panaromic view is from Wiki)

Today's Quote: I never called my work an 'art' It's part of show business, the business of building entertainment - Walt Disney.