City map publisher Blue Crow has gone ‘Down Under’ for its new architectural guide, unearthing Sydney’s best Brutalist landmarks.
Map editor Glenn Harper is an architect and urban planner with Aussie practice PTW Architects, as well as the creator of the Brutalist Project Sydney. He leads us on a trail around five of his favourite concrete corners of the city.
Sirius Apartments
Built between 1970 – 80 by the former New South Wales Housing Commission, with Tao Gofers as project architect, this large scale social housing scheme was designed to accommodate a range of family types and sizes. Sirius Apartments was conceived in the wake of the so-called ‘Green Bans’, a protest movement in Sydney that began in late 1971 in opposition to the loss of public housing due to the commercial redevelopment of The Rocks and Millers Point precincts of the 1970s. Instead of relocating the public housing elsewhere, it was decided to build affordable housing in the area. The building is now empty and has an uncertain future.
Photography: Glenn Harper
Warringah Civic Centre and Council
This community building, designed as a modern-day ‘civic acropolis’ by Edwards Madigan Torzillo Briggs in 1973, is poised on a sandstone hill overlooking Dee Why – a beachside suburb of Sydney. With an internal ramp, conceived as ‘architectural promenade’, each civic and community space is connected in a democratic way.
Photography: Glenn Harper
Qantas International Centre – Stage 1
Conceived as Sydney’s ‘World Trade Centre’, this 48-storey commercial office tower was designed by Joseland and Gilling and built in 1970-83. With exposed ‘off the form’ concrete structural blade walls and column free ‘curtain glazing’ angled to overlook the harbour, each floor ‘hangs’ off giant in situ cast concrete truss beams.
Photography: Glenn Harper
Ku-ring-gai College of Advanced Education
Designed by the New South Wales government architect, with David Turner as the project architect, this multi-storey campus building of auditoriums and offices is spatially arranged around a series of sun-drenched terraces to overlook its unique bushland site. The large complex was built in six stages between 1968-84.
Photography: Glenn Harper
Seidler offices
Designed in 1971-73 by émigré architect Harry Seidler, this seven storey commercial office building is distinguished by concrete structural walls (in ‘beton brut’ finish) and smooth precast concrete floor beams and vertical sun shading. Seidler’s architectural studio currently occupies the top two floors of this building.
Photography: Glenn Harper
Blue Crow’s Butalist Sydney Map is out now.
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