Birrarung Marr Pedestrian Bridge

As a key civic structure in the City of Melbourne, the Birrarung Marr Pedestrian Bridge spans 300 metres and elegantly links the park's upper platform to Speakers Corner, offering a striking addition to Melbourne’s Yarra River precinct. It acts as a considered transition, connecting the built environment of the city with the fluidity of the natural landscape, bridging the divide between rigid urban grids and the organic forms of the river precinct.

The bridge is an exploration of rhythm and movement, of containment and exposure, and of the interplay between texture and sound. Its central steel spine is subtly profiled, responding to the changing spans between support columns - a detail that acknowledges the bridge's varying relationship with the ground below. Above, the superstructure is composed of a delicately crafted series of timber beams and decking, lending a tactile warmth to the structure. This considered use of materials and articulation of form creates a journey that is both functional and experiential, enhancing the pedestrian's engagement with the surrounding environment.

Federation Bells

Commissioned by the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts for Arts Victoria, the Federation Bells were conceived as a permanent sculptural installation within Birrarung Marr. As a resonant marker of the Centenary of Federation and as a collaborative effort, the installation brings together sculptor Anton Hassell, acoustic designer Neil McLachlan, and lighting designer Nathan Thompson. The project explores an innovative approach to the perception and experience of the sonic and visual qualities of bells and their role in the civic domain.

Elevated on slender and elongated columns, 26 smaller bells establish a grid-like backdrop to the overall, larger composition. Interspersed throughout this framework are 13 larger bells that sit as more dominant elements, and although their placement appears random, each of the varying heights off-sets the next. A deliberate lightness is created, that hints at a delicacy – creating a contrasting counterpoint to the more robust and solid elements within the urban fabric surrounding the installation. The Federation Bells offer a moment of reflection – as well as auditory engagement - within the larger cityscape, offering a poetic exchange of form and sound.