RED STAIR AMPHITHEATRE, MELBOURNE

Situated along Southbank Promenade beside the Yarra River, Queensbridge Square is a major public meeting space connecting Southgate, Southbank Boulevard, Queensbridge Street, the casino, the Freshwater Place apartment tower & the Sandridge Bridge, which leads to the Flinders Street Station and its underpass.

This red stair works as a beacon, an easy to find meeting place. It is an outdoor amphitheatre for buskers and small meetings or demonstrations, and for sitting in the sun. On any given day hundreds of people descend upon the stair for a casual chat, a quick bite to eat with co-workers, access to their recommended daily vitamin D intake, or put on a show of impressive BMX and skateboarding tricks off the canted sides of the structure.

The high back wall cuts the wind and hides the roadway leading to the tunnel underneath.  The back wall further functions as a book end to Queensbridge Square.  This creates a sense of enclosure to the urban space effectively resulting in a modern Piazza. The iconic form and bold use of colour helps signal a truly successful urban space.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.