This is the entrance to Bowen House – the 22-storey office building on the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street in Wellington home to many members of Parliament and parliamentary support staff. I was there yesterday vising an MP and was stuck by how unceremonious the entrance way to this building is.

There should be a sense that you are entering somewhere important; it is after all a place that represents the administrative centre of New Zealand and a place that frequently hosts foreign guests. Form should follow function.

The retail space below Bowen House used to house Bennetts Government Bookshop. As can be seen in the picture below, the space is currently for lease – what do you think should replace Bennetts? What befits this space? Thoughts?