Twenty years ago, Labor Opposition Leader John Brumby spoke about our winning design for Federation Square: "This design has all the grace and charm of Godzilla."

For five years (1997–2002), as the architects of the landmark, we were told the design looked like "a random pile of luggage that got run over". That it was unfortunate the Taliban couldn't come to Melbourne to blow it up – as they had the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

That it would never work as a public square or centre point for the city: "The citizens of Melbourne are going to have to live with the fashionable impress of offshore architects, while the opportunity to create a truly fabulous Australian place has been all but lost."

Not everyone likes Federation Square. Some dislike the architecture. Some bemoan that it is not a park or garden (never its intention). Some complain about sloping topographies.