The Private Life of Public Architecture

This book is not just about a building; it is about how major architecture gets commissioned, managed and built in Australia today. In this case, we look at the new billion dollar Melbourne Convention Centre. The book follows the whole process – from the three trucks of drawings, documents and models sent to the Premier’s office, which won the initial design competition, through to the newspapers lurching into gear with their familiar rhetoric. Yet, despite the glare of media attention, the process that lies behind big architecture is far from clear. This book explores this process, through a building that not only challenges the conventions of public space, but also what architecture means in the contemporary city.