City of Melbourne councillors will vote on the future of the city's Red Stairs at Queensbridge Square in Southbank at an upcoming Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting on 3 March.
The stairs, designed by Marcus O'Reilly Architects and sculptor Nadim Karam, were commissioned by the City of Melbourne in 2005 as a component of their Sandridge precinct renewal along the edge of the Birrarung/Yarra River. According to the council, "they were designed as a temporary measure to activate Queensbridge Square and disguise the Crown Casino car park entry." After being installed in 2006, the stairs won both the Australian Institute of Architects Melbourne Prize and Urban Design Award the following year.
In August 2024, the FMC approved a decision to undertake an international design competition to upgrade the amphitheatre design, which has been subject to graffiti and degradation. The committee's meeting agenda now notes that with the installation having reached its end of life, the council is keen to progress "a timely and cost-effective renewal of the area."
Led by director Luke Flanagan, the council's City Design branch is proposing to abandon plans for a design competition and take matters into their own hands, with their draft concept "respond[ing] to the site constraints while also improving the area by … extending the lifespan of the structure."
The vision involves removing the top level of the structure and replacing it with a viewing platform in order to reduce visual bulk, provide additional area for the public to occupy, and improve sightlines and safety. It also includes swapping the existing red-painted plywood cladding with "higher quality, lower maintenance materials," as well as replacing 40 square metres of existing hardscape in the square with green landscaping.
If approved by the FMC, the proposal is expected to cost the council $1.73 million and be delivered by 2027.
