t Queen and Collins by Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) and BVN, civic, architectural and commercial accomplishment unite flawlessly. The cultural scaffold for this significant achievement is the sustained period of built environment leadership, research and advocacy that has nurtured and cultivated the urbane life of Melbourne’s iconic CBD. Situating this ambitious renovation project within this sophisticated, metropolitan campaign recalls the overquoted saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Coined by the legendary management consultant Peter Drucker in the early 2000s, this phrase is much more than business jargon. It is a keen observation that organizational cultures are always hungry and take longer to develop, sustain or shift than overarching strategies. In the context of the built environment, Drucker’s esculent analogy is useful in explaining how a strong civic culture (like that of Melbourne’s) can devour the
