Victorian Government Architect under threat

Former Victorian government architect Geoffrey London speaks at a public forum "City in Crisis?" in August. Photo: Darrian Traynor

Try this game: Picture AAMI Park, the eye-catching stadium that resembles the trajectory of a soccer ball. The Cox Architecture-designed stadium lifts the Punt Road perimeter of Melbourne's sports precinct, but contributes to the fabric of the whole city. Now imagine it as a bland rectangular stadium. According to former Victorian Government Architect John Denton this was a narrowly avoided architectural own goal.

"The Cox scheme was right on the cusp of being chucked out and gone to a cheap, minimal-cost standard, rectangular thing," Denton says. "[Until] we stepped in."

Next, picture the Royal Children's Hospital without all the kid-friendly, fun stuff - the aquariums, murals. And, more importantly, without its restorative views of Royal Park.

AAMI Park and the Royal Children's Hospital are just two of the many public buildings improved by the support and intervention of the Office of the Victorian Government Architect. Since it was established in 2006 the OVGA has helped procure everything from the Melbourne Recital Centre to the Melbourne Convention Centre.

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But after the resignation of Liberal premier and architect Ted Baillieu the OVGA lost one of its major supporters. Under the premiership of Denis Napthine the government architect's office was relegated toTransport, Planning and Local Infrastructure from the powerful Department of Premier and Cabinet.

While a shift to planning may seem an appropriate fit for an architect's office, it was perceived as a demotion.

"The moment you go into planning and become just an offshoot downstream of the process, you have to work harder to be listened to," Denton says. "It makes it harder work just at an operation of government level."

Now against a backdrop of divisive planning decisions such as the East West tunnel and Fishermans Bend urban planning academics question how much influence the office still has.

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Victorian Government Architect under threat