The Wheeler Centre: literary and functional

On Thursday and Friday, I was at the Public Interest Journalism and New Media Conference held as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. It is otherwise known as New News 2010 and is sponsored by the Public Interest Journalism Foundation at Swinburne University.

The Conference was held at The Wheeler Centre which is in the precinct of the State Library of Victoria.  The establishment of The Wheeler Centre is in response to Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature.  Melbourne was the second city in the world - and the first in the southern hemisphere - to be honoured by UNESCO.  The first was Edinburgh. 

So for those of you who may not have visited Wheeler, I took some pictures... just to give you a feel of the place.

External signage above Little Lonsdale Street

The Foyer

 

 Copper door with copper architrave

 

 The Auditorium

The Green Room was used by the conference for informal conversations with guest speakers and "Unconferences" - you could put your unprogrammed offering on a white-board.

Green Room - Southern end

Green Room - Northern end

Green Room - Kitchen doors

and, finally, I thought this banquette was designer cute and smart

You sit carefully in/on this banquette - because it has no back support.  When you sit on the one or two upper curves (depending on size) the curves either side become arm rests.  So as well as eye-catching, it is quite functional.  I was able to sit quite comfortably (and I am a larger size) and have a conversation with the person sitting next to me. 

All in all, the Wheeler Centre provides

functional spaces for the City of Melbourne.