By OFFICE

This book is the first in a series of three books about the proposed demolition of public housing, the people who live in these estates, and the environmental, social and economic case for retaining these sites. This first publication features Ascot Vale Estate which was slated for demolition under the government’s Public Housing Renewal Program.

“I am optimistic that people are now placing value on council and public housing. Twenty years ago, it was seen as a liability, but now it’s seen as an asset.”
Paul Karakusevic, Karakusevic Carson Architects

The book expands on the Retain, Repair, Reinvest feasibility and design proposal for the estate by non-for-profit architecture and design firm OFFICE. The book features interviews with an Ascot Vale resident, photos of the estate by architectural photographer Ben Hosking, and commissioned essays and interviews with academics, an architect and economist about the value of public housing.

In a time where all 44 high-rise towers in Melbourne are set to be demolished, displacing 10,000 residents, this book will help to tell the story of the environmental, social and economic cost of this destruction – and highlight the opportunities for investing in the public housing assets we already have.

With a foreword by Dr Kate Shaw, photography by Ben Hosking, and interviews with Clare Hanson, Libby Porter, David Kelly, Priya Kunjan, Paul Karakusevic and Richard Denniss.