Melbournes Future Wheel
Posted 05/02/2010Driving past the decommissioned Southern Star Observation Wheel a few months ago I got to wondering what else could become of this forlorn looking broken icon….
Having been to a few future visioning workshops in the past that produced policy based strategies, I thought bugger it we should put some clever minds together and visualize our own proposition for Melbourne’s conceptually flawed Southern Star Big Wheel.
So together with the brilliant photographer Peter Bennetts and the super talented Fooch from Squint Opera we came up with the following reuse strategy; a greek windmill inspired sci-fi future with a ‘wind driven, solar sail energy collecting wheel, as a hub for a new fleet of flying steam powered trams’ to alleviate congestion in a newly greened Melbourne. Click on the images to view the full scale versions.
Although maybe not obvious, there are some serious ideas and questions amongst the madness.. How to efficiently adapt, reuse and re-function outdated infrastructure as we move to a more sustainable future. Anyway, the devil is in the detail, so click on the images and zoom around, fun food for thought….
Subscribe to this Blog feed
February 7th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Vertical
February 9th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Thanks soren. I’ll get more ongoing WIP animation to it over the next week.
February 12th, 2010 at 4:00 am
my colleagues and I are curious about the purpose of the flying bus in this construct….?
February 12th, 2010 at 5:43 am
Hey Tina. Actually they are flying trams…. Their purpose is to transport the people..!.. To be honest we are not quite sure how they will work, flying steam powered trams converted from Melbourne’s current range of trams would admittedly be hard — but we are sure it could be done… The future is where we all live and travel in the sky remember.!.
February 13th, 2010 at 8:02 am
… + flying trams are just plain cool.
February 14th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Cool factor = numero uno on why trams can fly.
Pseudo Alternate universe where the wheel exist as a transport hub and an icon of melbourne.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:21 am
You crazy guys!
February 19th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
I’m sure I had a Meccano one of these things when I was a kid.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
“decommissioned Southern Star Observation Wheel”
It’s not decommissioned - it’s being repaired under warranty due to be completed May/June this year
http://www.thesouthernstar.com.au/mediarelease.aspx?id=20
February 28th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Why even bother go to all the trouble of designing that when they are rebuilding it to be an OBSERVATION WHEEL, like it was before, not some windmill. Your windmill thing probably wouldn’t work anyway because the whole structure is too heavy.
February 28th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
You are probably quite right Lee.!.
I’m no engineer but I am pretty sure that the structure would be a tad too heavy to convert the wheel into a windmill (ignoring other difficulties in in the images suck as the flying trams, 8 meter tall flamingos, etc), I think you have really hit the nail on the head with your analysis of our proposal - What were we thinking.?.
And so it will be… Turned back into an Observation Wheel, just like it was before (hopefully stronger, re-engineered and heat resistant). Exactly what Melbourne needs, in an amazing spot within the City. Obviously what ‘the people’ want, they will receive.. Lets just hope no-one with any sense questions anything, lest someone wonder whether an ‘Observation Wheel’ is critical to our City….
February 28th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
O for Awesome - love this design concept especially flying trams. Let’s be honest, it really doesn’t get much cooler than flying trams and giant windmills!!
March 11th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Giant dinosaur tailed flamingos - that is happiness
But where would the Costco go…
Thanks for a gorgeous design and brilliant reuse of what is perhaps the weirdest addition to Melbourne in the weirdest spot… An observation wheel at the arse end of the city, next to a freeway, looking onto apartments