Espresso Grande: Vision to transform Southbank’s Red Stairs into giant coffee percolator

Imagine sipping a cappuccino inside the world’s largest coffee percolator while gazing across the Yarra-Birrarung from Queensbridge Square.

That’s the bold vision behind Espresso Grande, a concept design to transform Southbank’s tired Red Stairs into an icon of Melbourne’s coffee culture.

Put forward by local duo Dr Mark Pizzacalla and artisan mosaicist Rob Di Virgilio, Espresso Grande reimagines the Queensbridge Square landmark as a sculptural percolator that doubles as a café.

Surrounding it would be giant coffee cups acting as seating pods, creating what the team calls a “must-see, must-visit, must-experience” destination for locals and tourists alike.

The proposal, submitted ahead of the City of Melbourne’s upcoming design competition for the Red Stairs, seeks to breathe life into what has long been considered an urban eyesore.

Built in 2006 as an amphitheatre for buskers, the structure has since become a neglected slab of red concrete. The Yarra River Business Association has called it a “disgraceful” blight on one of the city’s busiest tourism hubs.

Espresso Grande offers a playful alternative. Standing 8.5 metres tall, the percolator would feature a steam plume rising from its spout each hour and an illuminated base that glows orange like a stovetop.

The tiled exterior, designed with mosaic finishes, could incorporate Indigenous motifs and dual-language wayfinding through collaboration with Aboriginal Elders. Inside, a real café would serve coffee, while children could enjoy “Mini Cinos” – frothy milk with chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows.

It’s a love letter to Melbourne,” the proponents wrote in their submission. “To its laneways, its espresso bars, its creative heart, and its diverse stories.

The design aims to spark curiosity and conversation, celebrating Melbourne’s rich migrant history and reputation as Australia’s coffee capital. Mr Pizzacalla, a senior business adviser, and Mr De Virgilio, Victoria’s only Bisazza Master Mosaic Warranted Installer, say they are committed to investing their “time, talent and collaborative energy” to make the project a reality.

The vision also acknowledges the practical challenges of the site, which sits atop Crown’s underground car park entrance. Any redesign will need to factor in traffic movements while maximising activation of Queensbridge Square as a meeting place.

While the City of Melbourne has not yet launched its design competition – expected later this year – Espresso Grande provides a flavour of the ideas being generated. Competitions of this kind have historically shaped iconic landmarks such as Federation Square, and councillors have signalled their ambition for a new civic space “as well-known as under the clocks at Flinders Street Station”.

The Espresso Grande team says their concept design could put Melbourne back on the map at a time when the CBD is striving to draw back visitors. With its scale, interactivity and Instagram-friendly appeal, they argue it could become a global talking point.

The Red Stairs may never have lived up to their promise, but in their place could rise a monument to Melbourne’s favourite ritual. The City of Melbourne is expected to provide further updates on the start of the competition, expected to run for four to eight weeks, later this year.

The council has previously said that it would include an open expression of interest, select requests for proposal and a final shortlisted interview.

Construction of the winning designs would be subject to a draft concept endorsement from the council and community engagement. •

Main caption: A concept showing the proposal on Southbank Promenade. The team behind the proposal is currently working on an alternative version that would replace the Red Stairs.