ARM Architecture
Using the St Kilda Road/Swanston Street corridor as a guiding structure, this linear tour through Naarm's CBD tells the story of ARM's development as an architectural firm from their early work in the 1990s through to the present day. Concert hall acoustics, redevelopment of significant heritage sites and innovative computer modelling all feature on this stroll through ARM's bold contributions to the identity of the city.
Approximate distance: 3km (or 1.5km with tram rides part of the way)
Approximate duration: 90 minutes
Beginning at the Shrine of Remembrance. After a detour to the purpose-built Melbourne Recital Centre and Melbourne Theatre Company buildings, Ian and Jesse guide us from south to north along St Kilda Road/Swanston Street. From Hamer Hall, you an either stroll or take a tram to what Jesse calls “ARM corner” (Melbourne Central, Storey Hall and RMIT’s “Green Brain”) before ending at the Barak Building. Along the way, Dr Conrad Hamann puts ARM’s work in the context of compelling anecdotes from the history of the city’s architecture.
Some parts of this tour are indoors (eg. Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne Recital Centre, Hamer Hall), with limited or restricted access but there’s still plenty to listen to from outdoors.
About your tour guides
Ian McDougall is a founding director and Jesse Judd is a director of Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM Architecture), an award-winning architecture, urban design and interior design practice known for innovative, vibrant, and courageous design.
Dr Conrad Hamann is Associate Professor of Architectural History and History of Urban Design at RMIT University.
From outside the Shrine of Remembrance, Ian and Jesse discuss ARM’s transformation of the site “from a monument to a visitor experience” — including accessible entry for returned servicepeople.
Conrad sheds some light on the history of the Shrine, which was designed by architects Philip Hudson and James Wardrop who were both returned soldiers. Their vision was inspired by the Mausoleum of Helicarnassus and other Hellenistic monuments.
The “very strict heritage controls” on the Shrine guided ARM’s choices on how to develop the site. Rather than building a visitor centre next to the Shrine, they returned to the original design scheme which included four bastions at the corners that were never built. ARM took this idea, but instead of four raised areas they installed four sunken gardens which lead to the undercroft area.
The next few stops on this tour take us inside the Shrine, see their website for visitor details. If you’re here outside of visitor hours or you choose not to go inside, we encourage you to listen to this audio while exploring the outdoor areas and surrounding gardens.
These Shrine interiors were not originally intended to be visited or seen by the public. With their revamp, ARM took some of the spaces from “dirt” to what they are today. Ian and Jesse point out some of the previously-hidden details, such as the drawings and notes left by the labourers who worked on the site’s original construction.
From inside the Shrine, Ian and Jesse look towards the administrative offices and the Terrace Garden which is planted with species native to South-East Asian conflict locations (with landscape architecture by Rush Wright).
Jesse discusses the need to have a transitional space for student groups to gather and acclimatise to the Shrine site before moving in to the auditorium.
Ian, Conrad and Jesse take us into the auditorium and explain the way Sadako Sasaki’s origami cranes inspired the design of the acoustic panelling. Note that the auditorium may not be open to the public, but you can see a photo of the space on ARM’s website.
They also discuss the various narratives of service and conflict that have informed their designs. Without glorifying experiences of war, but still wanting to evoke the “sublime” in reflective visitor experiences.
The Shrine of Remembrance was built on an artificial hill. This elevation provides a strong vantage to view the Hoddle Grid. Jesse encourages us to “zoom out for a minute”, looking towards “politics and sport” (Parliament and the Melbourne Sports Precinct) to the east, and “beer” (the former Carlton United Brewery) to the north. At the former CUB site we see a picture of William Barak on the facade of the 31-storey apartment building that will be the final stop on this tour.
Conrad mentions early plans for both the Carlton United Brewery and Shrine of Remembrance sites, which were illustrated by Harold Desbrowe in For Every Man His Home.
Ian tells us that the sightline along the Swanston Street axis towards the Shrine of Remembrance is protected.
From here, you can either stroll/roll 1km, or take a tram along St Kilda Road for part the journey to our next location — Melbourne Recital Centre.
Ian takes us inside Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, the 1,000-seat purpose-built chamber music space inside Melbourne Recital Centre, and provides some insight into the acoustic design of the space.
Melbourne Recital Centre performance spaces are closed to the public outside of ticketed events. We encourage you to listen to this while touring the perimeter of the building and taking in the facade — also designed by ARM. You can see photos and learn more about the design (including a video tour with Ian) on ARM’s website.
From outside, we get further insights into the Melbourne Recital Centre Design. Ian, Jess and Conrad also discuss the design of Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre — originally conceived as a single, hybrid building. ARM chose instead to create two distinct identities for the neighbouring buildings, though the back-of-house is integrated and connected via doorways and tunnels.
They also discuss the streetside shopfronts; the cafes and restaurants were deliberately installed to be outward-facing, allowing them to trade independently and contribute to the public vibrancy of the precinct.
From the Recital Centre/MTC, you can look across Southbank Boulevard to the NGV — one of the sources of the Arts Precinct bluestone that ARM chose to reference in their Recital Centre facade design.
Conrad gives us some historical insights into the NGV design, including the idiosyncratic tower at the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street.
You’re encouraged to listen to this audio while walking along St Kilda Road past NGV International towards Hamer Hall (the next stop on this tour).
Ian discusses ARM’s redevelopment of Hamer Hall (which you can read more about on their website) including some history of the building.
Check the Arts Centre website for opening hours and visitor information.
To get to the next location from here, you can take a free tram along Swanston Street from Federation Square/Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Central/State Library Victoria (La Trobe Street).
Ian and Jesse tell us about ARM’s Melbourne Central redevelopment. When department store Daimaru left the site, ARM turned the empty shopping centre “back into a piece of Melbourne” with additional entrances, public furtniture and laneways.
They also turn their attention to Storey Hall, which ARM redeveloped in the mid-90s. Originally built in 1887 as Hibernian Hall, ARM used design elements like a non-repeating Penrose Tile pattern and hosiery-inspired bronzework to link the site’s history to RMIT’s “future thinking” contemporary vision. You can see an image of the reworked auditorium interior on ARM’s website.
And above RMIT’s Building 22, on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston streets, is what’s known as the “Green Brain”. Jesse and Ian talk about how projects like these connect to ARM’s mission to use innovative technologies in building design. This use of computer modelling went on to inform their later works such as the Melbourne Recital Centre and Barak Building.
The final stop on this tour.
From the Victoria Street side, you can see William Barak’s portrait on the facade of the building — as seen from the Shrine of Remembrance, which, looking south along the Swanston Street axis you’ll be able to look back to the location from the beginning of this tour.
Jesse and Ian discuss the design and cultural consultancy process with Barak descendent and Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin, and look at the discs at the base of the building, which both reference the neighbouring RMIT Building 100 (designed by Sean Godsell), as well as spelling “Wurundjeri, I am who I am” in braille.
The street address of the building is 555 Swanston Street, from which you can see the facade of the heritage-listed Carlton United Brewery Malt Store.
Many thanks to Ian McDougall, Jesse Judd and Dr Conrad Hamann for hosting this tour, which was presented in partnership with ARM Architecture.