Melbourne newspapers are reporting on an argument breaking out over the preservation of the city's postwar modernist buildings, centering (as ever) on the dispute between their value as cultural heritage vs their 'ugliness' (you can see all the contested buildings in a neat graphic at The Age). While many are in favor of preservation, Alan Davies, in anarticle for Crikey, warns that the cultural benefit in protecting these buildings should always be weighed against the cost of preventing the developments that would have taken their place. Read the full article here.
Pre-existing structures permitted for 'part demolition and refurbishment'. Image Courtesy of Future Melbourn (Planning) Committee
Australian developer CBUS Property has invited four pairs of Australian and internationally-renowned architectural practices to compete to design an office complex at a 6,000 square meter site in downtown Melbourne, Australia where the National Mutual Plaza currently stands.
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Flinders Street Station Proposal. Image Courtesy of HASSELL + Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron and HASSELL's winning design for Melbourne's Flinders Street Station might not be built due to the fact "the State Government has of yet, refused to promise funding for the design, and ruled out selling the station in order to finance the construction." The project was estimated to cost "approximately $1 billion to $1.5 billion to be realised", which is "on top of the $1.6 million already spent on the competition", leading critics to describe the competition as a "waste of money."