live digital journal of city design

30 April 2013 - Circular Quay train station, Sydney S ydney Cove, the current site of Circular Quay, was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788, which it could be called the “water gate” of Sydney city. It was originally designed for shipping, transport, leisure and recreational centre. The opening of Circular Quay Station in 1956 marked the completion of the essential City Circle train line system, which now conveys thousands of commuters, shoppers and tourists around the CBD every day. Before that time trains began their trip from either Wynyard or St James. Circular Quay is a focal point for community celebrations, due to it is the central location between the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. As well as, The Rock precinct near this station has supplied a motivation for visitor stopping at this station to enjoy many old and current cultural elements such as Museum of Contemporary Art, the City of Sydney Library and the Custo...

29 April 2013 - General Post Office (Martin Place),Sydney The General Post Office is a landmark building in Sydney City, which is located at the western end of Martin Plan, between George and Pitt Streets. This building was established as a monument that symbolizes the city. The reason why I choose this structure is that this building has been changed for many purposes during the time, which it is changed from a large post office building to a part of Westin Hotel, Sydney. This heritage has utilised until now but not be demolished by the rapid development of the city. The exterior facade is showing the Renaissance Palazzo style by sandstone, which becomes an important signal element in this central business area of Sydney; while the interior space has created a fusion between the refurbished existing walls, a lobby with glass metal structure mansard roof and new hotel facilities. It is obvious that this building i...

24 April 2013 – Paling Lane (Martin Place) There are many attractive lanes existing in the big pattern of Sydney City, Paling Lane is one of them to provide attractions for visitors to discover in this city. It was named because it led through to the large 1880s Palings Building in Ash Street. William Henry Paling was a musical entrepreneur who imported and eventually manufactured pianos and sheet music. In 1890 Paling moved his piano and music warehouse to the Sydney Safe Deposit Building in Ash Street, Upper floor rooms in Palings building, and many others in this area were rented out to teachers of music and dance, and as artists’ studios. Ash Street also housed the headquarters of the Liberal Party of Australia for many years. In 2008, Palings Lane was relocated further north, which it continues to provide a pedestrian connection with Ash Street and interprets the late 19 th century urban laneway patterns.    

23 April 2013 –– Ash Street (Martin Place), Sydney The main streets are transport media for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, which give people a flourishing vision; but quiet laneways create another vision only by pedestrians and high structures. Ash Street is the connection between Angel Place and Paling Lane, which it has included many elements, such as heritages, artworks and entertainment. Palings Building is a heritage site existing in this street, “Forgotten Songs” artwork has been designed in Angel Place near this street and Ash Street Cellar could be seemed a entertainment place to provide restaurant, bar, hotel functions to people.   The diversity of subculture has been involved into the local urban design, which it does not to be necessary to only care management but less care its essence.

22 April 2013 – Angel Place (Martin Place )   There are some small laneways might be not large width like the main streets in a city, but it could be able to bring about a different experience for pedestrians. Angel Place is one example that showing a quiet laneway was redesigned to create an artistic feeling for pedestrians. Angel Place features an installation known as “Forgotten Songs” designed by Michael Thomas Hill in 2011. A canopy of empty birdcages hanging in the sky, accompanied with the sound of Sydney’s lost birds which may have lived in this area, before the laneway replaced their native habitats.   Due to the rapid development of metropolis have accompanied with the large demolish of natural element, which this vision could be seemed a contradictory problem during centuries. However, this laneway is a good example that transferred those contradictory problems to a new sense for urban design with artworks.    

17April 2013 – Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street facing to the Westside of Martin Place. It is the oldest hospital in Australia. The hospital site was constantly added to and modified to accommodate the growing population of Sydney after 20 th century, with a number of additional buildings erected in the hospital grounds facing Hospital Road. The most recent work was the construction of the clinical services building and accommodation for the Sydney Eye Hospital. Therefore, a small garden with a fountain was created in the middle of hospital area, which Administration block has created a barrier between the noise Macquarie Street and quiet hospital garden. This heritage site could be seemed an isolated area from the many high modernist structures of this metropolis; as well as, a shortcut run through from the financial and insurance centre – Mar...

16 April 2013 – the MLC Centre (Martin Place), Sydney The MLC Centre is a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. This high level office building is 228 metres high and it has 60 storeys inside. The podium of the building includes a shopping centre at the bottom levels of this structure with several exclusive fashion labels and a 1,186 seat theatre, the Theatre Royal. The building is a stark white, modernist column in an octagonal floorplan, designed by Sydney architect Harry Seidler, with eight massive load bearing columns in the corners that taper slightly towards the top, which it is one of the world's tallest reinforced concrete buildings. There are two entrances being designed within this structure, one has been designed as an open space facing to Martin place for providing a good restaurant and coffee shop place and another has been seemed as the main entrance to the shopping centre and near the Theatre Royal. This structur...

15 April 2013 – Martin Place, Sydney Martin Place is s a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney City. Martin Place sets between George Street and Macquarie Street, and provides the entrances to the Martin Place train station underground levels. Other cross streets including in Martin Place are Pitt Street, Castlereagh Street, Elizabeth Street and Phillip Street. Since a lot of significant structures involving into this place, such as the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, etc; hence, it has been promoted as ‘financial and insurance centre of Sydney’ and ‘the hub of the city’. Approximate 30 metres width public pedestrians mall combining with different styles of building of each side, many natural and artificial elements including in this sits such as public seating,   plants, daylight and crowed office workers and travelers has contributed a urban public life vision in this s...

10 April 2013 – Federation Square, Melbourne   Federation Square is a new civic square and cultural precinct opening up for public use in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is a multi-functional development project covering an area of 3.2 hectares including cultural and commercial buildings and an open amphitheatre capable for 15,000 people. It is also a large scale public square setting in the most flourishing central business district above the Melbourne City’s major transport hub – Jolimont Railway Yards. It is a good example that identifying the new direction for public square, which various topography was created by architectural method like stairs, ramps or structures, as well as, spectacular location connecting with local features has creates a new vision for urban heart design theory.    

9 April 2013 – Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Flinders Street Station is a central commuter railway station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which it has served the entire city railway network. Near the Yarra River Backing onto the heart of the city, the complex covers two whole city blocks and set on the corner between Swanston Street and Queen Street. It was the first railway station in an Australian city opened in 1854 and the first use of a terminus for steam rail in Australia.   This iconic structure also closes to the most flourishing street in this city - Swanston Street, its dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks has been become one of the most recognisable landmarks in this city. Its small open space is the most important place to provide the busiest pedestrians crossings between Flinders Street and Swanston Street.    

8 April 2013 – Melbourne Town Hall                                              Melbourne Town Hall is the central municipal building of the City of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located on the northeast corner of Swanston and Collins Streets, which the central business and commercial district. This structure is one of the landmarks of Melbourne City that has been utilized for multiple purposes, such as theatrical activities, exhibition place, or a school concert. The facade of this Town Hall is showing the Second Empire style, which it was designed by local architect Joseph Reed in 1867.   The Melbourne Town Hall is either a magnificent heritage building or a signal landmark in the heart of the city.   A meeting place for people existing in the...