High-rise office buildings are as much a manifestation of the twentieth century as were the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, and they account for many notable examples of modern Australian architecture. Two developments in Melbourne are particularly significant. Collins Place, near the old Parliament House, comprises two 46-storey towers, both square in plan although of unequal size. Arranged in staggered formation diagonally to the street, the smaller tower is entirely composed of offices; so also is the larger up to the 30th floor, but thereafter it provides 16 floors of a modern luxury hotel served by high-speed lifts from street level, with each room having unrivalled views over Melbourne. The rooms are arranged around a dazzling, mirror-filled central space, known as the Atrium, topped by a great glass roof. It echoes an even larger covered area at street level, termed the Great Space (Fig. 52), spanning 60 metres and incorporating several levels of shopping, with a semi-enclosed pedestrian plaza, open to Collins Street, but protected from the changeable Melbourne weather by a gigantic glass space-frame. (1981: architect: I. M. Pei (USA) in conjunction with Bates Smart & McCutcheon; the Great Space designed by Vincent Ponte USA).

52 The Great Space, Collins Tower Building, Melbourne

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering