Citadel

433 Collins Street – National Mutual Plaza – is in many respects a refined, yet unremarkable example of 1960’s Melbourne corporate architecture + urban design.

Yet its site, in the context of the CBD is unique.

For many reasons the site is likely to re-developed in the near future – four architectural firms have already been selected. This studio will explore the redevelopment of the site. Development options will cover the spectrum of the orthodox to the extreme. Density, urban landscape and sustainability will be themes of the studio pursuing the idea that the self-contained site could be a prototype for a 21C ‘city within a city.

Precedent studies both local and international, will be essential, as will a keen eye on aspects of contemporary Melbourne urban life, that might offer a hint of an integrated self-sustaining urbanism that might be well-suited to this development.