You’ve by now heard the news: late last year, Apple announced that they’ll be opening their new global flagship store in Federation Square in 2020.
The Fed Square space will be a two-storey building fully powered by renewable energy. Apple has announced that the project will create 500 square metres of new public space, bring two million new visitors to the square every year, connect Fed Square to the Yarra with better access, and run daily sessions in everything from photography and visual art to app development.
At the same time, this does mean that the 15-year old Yarra Building – currently home to tenants including the Koorie Heritage Trust and Melbourne Festival – will be demolished to make way for the new Apple building.
Clearly it’s a development that has everyone talking – and next week you’ll be able to hear from both sides. Open House Melbourne will be hosting a free public debate at Deakin Edge on Tuesday February 13. While the event is currently booked out, the team at Open House is working to live stream the talk, with details to be confirmed soon.
The debate will see architects and city planning professionals, leaders in the cultural and arts sectors as well as public office representatives come together to discuss the new building. On the affirmative team will be CEO of Fed Square Jonathan Tribe, Lab Architects director Donald Bates, state government architect at OVGA Jill Garner, and CEO of the Committee for Melbourne Martine Letts. On the negative team will be City of Melbourne councillor Rohan Leppert, architect Tania Davidge, executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts Esther Anatolitis, and landscape architect and urban designer Ron Jones.
You can read all about it here. Stay tuned for more info on the live stream as well.