Announced on Wednesday, the two-level glass-walled pavilion was unveiled with a promise from Apple that the planned project "increases public space and provides a daily program of activity to inspire and educate the community."
But it's this element of public space that has people a little concerned.
— Mashable
Residents of Melbourne are angered by Apple's plans to locate its new flagship store at Federation Square, a public center commonly used to house gatherings, protests, sports screening, concerts and Council-organized events. The site is also home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the National Gallery of Victoria's Ian Potter Centre, the headquarters for public broadcaster SBS, and the Yarra Building—the latter of which will be destroyed to make room for the store.
The Yarra Building, a large, deconstructivist structure, houses the Koorie Heritage Trust, an Aboriginal arts and cultural organization that will be displaced by the decision. Apple has promised to foot the bill for the building's demolition and the Trust has plans to move into a larger space also within Federation Square. However, the Yarra building's quartz-like design is in keeping with the deconstructivist character of the civic center, while Apple's glass and floating roof design disrupts the cohesion.
More importantly though, the welcoming of Apple to Federation Square is sparking graver concerns about a multinational corporation taking over public space. The new store is the result of a partnership with the Victorian Government and the plans were negotiated without any public consultation. The decision to exempt plans from public participation were made by the governmental minister for planning, Richard Wynne, with the justification that the store would have "wide-ranging social and economic benefits for Victoria." Clearly, as the public outcry would suggest, Wynne greatly misjudged the cultural significance of Federation Square to Melburnians.
3 Comments
Two letters, N O
Well, with this, the Chicago Apple-store train-wreck, and the Panopticon headquarters Apple is 0 for 3.
This is a wrong application of the Apple brand. Intervening within a public space in a functioning, lively city is not where a commercial jolt makes sense. If this strategy were to be applied anywhere, it should be in the large, sparsely populated parks found in the suburbs. It's in that context that public life needs to charge public space.
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