The Labyrinth, Federation Square
Corner Swanston & Flinders Streets
www.fedsquare.com.au

Built: 2002
Architects: Lab Architecture Studio in association with Bates Smart
Owner: Fed Square Pty Ltd

FULLY BOOKED - Due to immense public interest in MOH, access to The Labyrinth has been fully booked and there is no further availability for this space in MOH 2008. There are however 7 other beautiful and fascinating buildings to explore on the day.

Beneath the familiar angles and architectural planes of Federation Square lies a rarely seen labyrinth of concrete tunnels. This subterranean maze is used to cool the building and will be open for all to see during Melbourne Open House.

Open to MOH: The Labyrinth (area below the main plaza used to cool the building)
Times: 10 am to 5pm
Access restrictions: We also advise that this is a confined space and people suffering from claustrophobia may not wish to visit this space.

The Labyrinth, so called because of its maze of corrugated concrete walls, is a unique passive cooling system. It is used to provide environmental climate control (cooling) for the Atrium and BMW Edge. Almost 40 x 40 metres and 1.2 km in length, the Labyrinth is positioned beneath the Square but above the actual deck over the rail lines.

Utilising the specific climatic qualities of Melbourne, cool air is pumped through the Labyrinth's cells at night, cooling the concrete walls. By day, air is gently pumped through the cells, the air cooled in turn by the concrete walls. In winter the Labyrinth's thermal mass maintains an inherent warming potential that can be supplemented as required.

The system directs air to the Atrium, dispersed by use of a low-velocity displacement system at floor level. In peak summer conditions, the Labyrinth is capable of delivering air to the Atrium at up to 12°C below the external ambient temperature, equivalent to conventional air conditioning, but using one tenth of the energy consumption and generating less than one-tenth of the CO2 emissions.

Federation Square

Federation Square