Fed Square refresh
Fed Square Public Experience Framework
Since its twentieth anniversary in 2022, Fed Square has been undergoing gradual transformation as it adapts to a changing environment, including surrounding infrastructure development - at Melbourne Arts Precinct, along the river corridor and the underground Metro Station. To prepare Fed Square for the future, a deliberate revitalisation process aims to re-assert the Square’s status as Melbourne’s pre-eminent civic and cultural destination.
Fed Square’s managing body MAP Co engaged Big Space to guide improvements to visitor experience, in line with the Square’s renewed Vision.
We developed a Public Experience Framework to help the Map Co team enhance the visitor experience, via carefully curated activation, more culturally inclusive services, better quality presentation, enhanced navigation and small scale, sensitive redevelopment.
Building on our knowledge of the Square’s origins and early operations, we undertook an in-depth study of the Square’s recent performance and current visitor experience, including consideration of its new heritage status, media commentary, events infrastructure and programming, visitor data, onsite observations, and interviews with over 50 stakeholders, advocates and representatives.
Reflecting on our research and the Square’s original Charter and Vision as a civic and cultural destination, we discovered that an important ‘third’ function of the Square had recently emerged and would increasingly dominate visitor experience - its role as a ‘gateway to the City’. The Framework proposes moves to better balance the Square’s gateway and destination activity and contains many other recommendations for improvements to the civic and cultural experience of the Square.
The Public Experience Framework is continuing to guide MAP Co’s approach to adapting and promoting Fed Square as part of the broader Melbourne Arts Precinct.
