New city design rules to target bad – and good – building plans

This week, Mr Wynne released for consultation the council's Central Melbourne Design Guide – the biggest rewrite of the city's urban design policies since the 1990s.

The guide attempts to improve building designs by encouraging some types of design, and provides a raft of directions on what developers must avoid.

It wants developers to learn from some of the lessons of the worst buildings of the past decade.

"We want to see more buildings that give back to the public realm," says Cr Reece, who argues that while Melbourne is by far Australia's most attractive and interesting city, it has been degraded by recent bad architecture and design.

He nominates the 46-year-old former BHP House, on the corner of William and Bourke streets, as evidence that "good design holds up and continues to shine over time".

He also points to buildings such as the postage stamp sized Monaco House in Ridgway Place, the Riverland bar on the Yarra, Federation Square and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Parkville as examples of the city's modern design excellence.

But while these were shining beacons, they are being weighed down by other, terrible examples, he says.

"We are seeing low-quality design outcomes," says the Labor councillor, who served in senior positions with both ex-Victorian premier John Brumby and former prime minister Julia Gillard.

The council's proposed design policy wants fewer service doors and outlets to electricity substations, fire equipment and gas outlets placed on footpaths.

Their proliferation, caused by a competition for space on the street, sees developers build on tiny plots and opt for the easiest solution: placing essential services on the ground floor.

The Age photographed Cr Reece this week on just such a street: Literature Lane, at the back of the new A'Beckett Tower.

"A long row of services along the lane way has cruelled ... this gem of a laneway," Cr Reece says.

The council's policy also targets the damage done to city streets from parking.

It wants to see huge vehicle entrances to underground car parks on major streets wound back and also proposes banning above-ground car parks in the CBD.

The policy attempts to push developers to design better street frontages and avoid street walls or podiums that present a continuous monotonous facade.

Cr Reece cites Spencer Street's discount outlet, next to the award-winning Southern Cross railway station, as just such a building: "A scar on Melbourne [blocking] the connection between the city and Docklands".

"Eyesore" Spencer Street DFO next to the acclaimed Southern Cross Station.
Photo: Meredith O'Shea

And the policy tries to dissuade developers from using highly reflective glass that both obscures views and causes dangerous reflections for drivers.

The Prima Pearl tower in Southbank was in many ways an "elegant tall tower", Cr Reece said. But he argues its highly reflective materials "cause unacceptable levels of glare".

The Prima Pearl tower: elegant but with "unacceptable levels of glare".
Photo: Leigh Henningham

Recently retired planning academic Michael Buxton is a vocal critic of Melbourne's recently built skyscrapers and has lambasted successive planning ministers for not standing up to developers.

He said the city council's new design rules were "minor window dressing" that would help if approved.

"But the really big issues – height and bulk and apartment size – the state government just isn't interested in," Professor Buxton says.

With more tall towers on their way to Melbourne's city centre, though, Cr Reece hopes Mr Wynne will approve his council's new policy so developers and building designers know precisely what will be supported.

"It makes economic sense to create great streets," he says.

An above ground car park in a building on Collins Street.
Photo: Jason South

Cr Reece's examples of excellence
"We need to be more sophisticated than thinking everything built before 1900 was beautiful and everything since 1960 is ugly. We all love Town Hall, The Exhibition Building and Manchester Unity Building. But there has also been some amazing buildings built this millennium that we should acknowledge and celebrate. We have many beautiful buildings, designed by contemporary architects.”

Eureka Tower (2006) – Fender Katsalidis
Monaco House - Ridgway Place, city (2008) - McBride Charles Ryan
Federation Square (2002) – Lab Architecture Studio and Bates Smart
ACCA - Sturt Street, Southbank (2002) – Wood Marsh
AAMI Park (2011) – Cox Architecture
Riverland (2006) Six Degrees and Arbory Bar and Restaurant (2015)
Jackson Clements Burrows – Yarra Edge, Federation Square and Flinders St
Station.
VCCC – Parkville (2017) - Silver Thomas Hanley and Design inc (STHDI) and
McBride Charles Ryan (MCR)
Peel Street Developments – Collingwood (2017) – DKO and Jackson Clement Burrows
Urban Workshop - Lonsdale Street (2006) - NH Architecture, Hassell Architects and John Wardle Architects

Clay Lucas is city editor for The Age. Clay has worked at The Age since 2005, covering state politics, urban affairs, transport, local government and workplace relations for The Age and Sunday Age.