Fed Square in Melbourne serves as a civic, community, and cultural destination. Situated along the Yarra River, it has cultural significance for the Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples, remaining an important meeting place, and is home to the Melbourne Arts Precinct. The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co.) approached ARUP to make Fed Square a more attractive and inclusive place at night to maximise its economic and cultural potential.
Using an evidence-based methodology, Fed Square was provided with a prioritised list of remediations to improve the perceptions of safety after dark. This influenced the lighting masterplan and its order of work. ARUP has since worked collaboratively with MAP Co to implement the first stage of this plan and deliver improvements to the precinct.
ARUP’s work is making Fed Square a more welcoming and safer place for a diverse range of people to enjoy at night, benefitting both local businesses and the community.
Creating a lighting masterplan
At night-time Fed Square space lacked vitality and functioned as a thoroughfare to other places, rather than somewhere people wanted to spend time in. ARUP was engaged to improve the night-time experience and gendered perceptions of safety by first developing a lighting masterplan for the space.
The Night-time Vulnerability Assessment (NVA) tool helped to understand how existing lighting, architecture and urban design characteristics influenced visitors’ perceptions of safety after dark.
Following the principles outlined in Fed Square’s lighting masterplan, ARUP was engaged in the first stage of implementation, which included lighting for circulation areas, the Main Plaza, the Atrium, and the Edge auditorium. By considering parameters that extend beyond base compliance design, the team was able to arrive at design outcomes that more closely reflect experience of people using those spaces. ARUP ensured that factors such as the quality of light, contrast levels, surrounding architecture and social context are considered designing the lighting scheme and will shape perceptions of safety and inclusivity in the precinct.
The lighting design enhances the night-time identity of the iconic outdoor square through layered illumination of the facades while maintaining soft general illumination to circulation areas. In the Atrium and Edge auditorium, the team highlighted the structure of glazed facades with discreet linear lighting that can be customised and tuned for different events and holidays.
For the outdoor Main Plaza, a layered façade approach with control integration was provided. The façade illumination in these primary areas can be adjusted at the client’s convenience, enabling customisation, and creating a unique backdrop for specific events and providing connection to a wider city colour scheme.
Collecting data to understand how light influences feelings of safety
The team spent a total of 50 hours on site at night measuring and collating a range of datasets. It was looked at how light influences perceptions of safety, examined primary routes of movement and listened to people’s experiences of moving through the area.
Using the results extracted from the NVA tool, a list of requirements was developed to enhance the night-time experience in Fed Square.
Source: www.arup.com
