Inside The Square - The Story Behind Federation Square

Imagine the nightmare of constructing a $450 million civic and cultural landmark to a radical design, not a right angle in sight, by architects with no previous building experience. This was the bold challenge to establish a brand new public square in Melbourne, Australia.
In 1997, the Victorian Government paved the way for one of the great civic spaces of the 21st century on top of the railway yards which divided the city of Melbourne from the river. An international competition was held, and Federation Square was awarded to two unknown London-based architects who, incredibly, had never built anything.
Despite years of teaching and running their own architectural practice, the unorthodox designs of Peter Davidson and Don Bates had literally never left the drawing board. Now they were being asked to build Australia’s biggest public project since the Opera House. And, like the Opera House, there were a plethora of issues and obstacles to overcome; political interference, budget blowouts, delays, shoddy workmanship, and strained relationships.
Chronicling the building of Federation Square, Australia’s most ambitious architectural project, ‘Inside The Square’ looks at what it takes to realise a vision of this magnitude.
Features appearances by Peter Davidson, Don Bates, Tony Cosma, Tony Hodder, Jim Berry, Peter Seamer, Stan Liacos, Dimity Reed, Charles Jencks, Genevieve Lally, Archie Laing, Frances Lindsay, Paul Mathis, Philip Goad, Tony Allen, and many more close to the project.
Inside The Square
Documentary, history and national identity genre.
2003.
55 minutes.
Production ABC TV Arts.
Narrator Justin Murphy.
Director and Producer Jaya Balendra.
Writers Jaya Balendra and Justin Murphy.
Executive Producer Richard Moore.
Award of Distinction, Documentaries, Australian Cinematographers Society National 2004.
Award of Gold, Corporate and Educational, Australian Cinematographers Society Victoria 2003.
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