Even as a spectacularly distorted reflection on the facade of another, lower and more “glassy” edifice, St Martins Tower is unmistakably itself.
Since we moved to Perth in 1983 many different tenants have “badged” St Martins Tower; as you can see in lower right hand quarter of the above photo, the current logo is that of ICBC – a Chinese bank.
From 1978 to 1988 St Martins Tower (140 metres) was Perth tallest building.
In the much more crowded and taller 2024 skyline, it is #10.
The #1 ranking, however, has remained unchanged for 32 years; Central Park (249 metres) still looks down on all other WA rooftops.
Occasionally, a corporate tower delivers reflections of living things.
…and steel, glass, concrete and “composites” do not (yet?) dominate every square metre of the Perth CBD’s manmade, above-ground surfaces.
Having walked up from Elizabeth Quay’s ferry station (mostly, due north, along William Street) we could then speedily return home, by bus or by train.
Back in 1983 we arrived in a city which had the worst public transport of any mainland Australian state capital.
41 year’s later, Perth’s public transport is certainly the nation’s most dramatically-improved; arguably, it is now the nation’s best.
In 1983 I would never have believed that 41 years later Melbourne would still be years distant from even starting construction of an airport line.
Perth’s airport line opened in October 2022, as an integral part of Perth’s public transport network; fares are enormously cheaper than those on Sydney’s and Brisbane’s (privatised) airport trains.
Sandwiched between Perth’s main train station and busport is Yagan Square, which is analogous to Melbourne’s Federation Square.
”Fed Square” opened in 2002.
Yagan Square opened in 2018; it has recently undergone an allegedly major “refreshment”.
The picture below shows one of not a few new bars and restaurants; this one is in a jutting “box”, perched above the all-pedestrian square’s most-walked section.
Whatever one thinks of the two squares’ respective aesthetic/architectural merits and shortcomings, it is inescapably obvious that Perth’s residents are yet to “take” to Yagan Square in the way that Melburnians have embraced Federation Square.
Look carefully at what is reflected on the empty venue’s glass exterior (it was 3 pm, remember…but even so) and you can see evidence of the very major construction project which is currently underway, directly opposite.
ECU – Edith Cowan University – is due to open its Perth City campus in 2026; its stated ambition is to “transform” Perth’s CBD.
It just might prove the key to making Yagan Square vibrant, as intended.
Meanwhile, at 3 pm on 01 July 2024, we turned our backs on Yagan Square, as we walked over to the busport’s entry, which now huddles below the already-imposing (ECU) edifice.
Development WA – the state government’s central development agency – is the primary “author” of Yagan Square.
It proudly declares:
It is impossible to miss the iconic Digital Tower, at the heart of Yagan Square.
The 45-metre high tower includes a large circular screen and 14 columns, inspired by the bulrushes found at the lakes that once occupied the site. The number of columns represents the 14 Noongar language groups.
On the giant screen, you could find anything from abstract graphics, to visual artworks, live-streamed events and community pieces. You can also witness how the screen can respond to movement in the space using interactive weather, pedestrian and train movement sensors.