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| Icons: Brutalist Architecture |
A radical departure from anything seen before, Japanese inspired Brutalist architecture is visually uncompromising, stark and over-scaled, an architectural expression of the 1960s term 'let it all hang out'. Brutalist building was the flavour of the 1970s. Use of precast elements and angularity give these often free standing giants added emphasis.
Brutalist buildings were built in the negative - by pouring concrete in the form, then stripping it away.
The Brutalist movement began in England in the '50s, led by Peter and Alison Smithson, but did not filter through to Australia until much later, with Joseland Gilling producing the Masonic Centre (and the Qantas building near Wynyard) in Sydney. In the same era the NSW Government Architect's Office produced the Ku-ring-gai Campus while Edwards Madigan designed the Warringah Civic Centre, which Urford says was virtually a prototype for the High Court in Canberra. The style is most frequently applied in Australia in the design of public utility buildings such as concert venues and fire stations.
The characteristics of Brutalist Architecture is its chunky style, featuring exposed reinforced concrete surfaces, sharp diagonal lines and slopes, off-form concrete and reinforced concrete construction in a bulky and blocky expression.
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1983 - Central Law Courts Building, Cnr Irwin and Hay Streets, Perth, WA.
A giant, sprawling five storey building housing Western Australia's Criminal, Family and Local Law Courts. It was built in the early 1980s.
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1980s - Ipswich Civic Hall, Brisbane Street, Ipswich, Qld.
A strong, bold design in the Brutalist style. The reinforced concrete structure features a sharply sloped flat roof, creating a diagonal roof line which contrasts to the building's horizontal and vertical members.
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1973-74 - Perth Entertainment Centre, Wellington Street, Perth, WA.
Built jointly by Channel 7 Perth and the Edgley Entertainment Group at a cost of $7 million, this building contained an 8,000 seat auditorium (at the time of its opening, it was the biggest covered auditorium in Australia), two cinemas, a restaurant and a tavern.
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1975-80 - High Court Building, Parkes Place, Parkes, ACT.
The High Court building is one of Australia's National Buildings and also one of Canberra's major tourist attractions. It is situated on 3.4 hectares of land in the Parliamentary Triangle, on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin between the National Science and Technology Centre and the National Gallery of Australia.
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1973 - Perth Concert Hall, St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA.
At the time of its construction, the Perth Concert Hall's design was a radical departure from anything else seen in Perth until that time. It paved the way for a number of buildings in this style, many of which were built within the vicinity of this building.
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52 Victoria Street, Carlton, Vic.
A Brutalist front is the dominant feature of this relatively small commercial property.
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2002 - Western Australian Maritime Museum, Victoria Quay, Fremantle, WA.
Shaped like an upturned boat, the home of the Western Australian Maritime Museum draws inspiration from Western Australia's rich maritime heritage and from its unique setting on a site of historic significance within a working port.
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1996 - Imax Theatre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW.
Squeezed into a difficult site (wedged between freeways and half built over water), the 'eye' shape and plan of this building make a strong visual statement about its use and turn its external walls into a giant billboard for its occupant. Architect: Lionel Glendening.
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1975 - Masonic Centre, Cnr Castlereagh & Goulburn Streets, Sydney, NSW.
One of the most controversial buildings in Sydney for many years, it squatted for decades in an unfinished state, waiting for the construction of the 24-storey tower that was only added in recent years. The tower has softened the stark outline of the lower podium.
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