House - Australian Institute of Architects

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatArchitectural Heritage of the 20 th century:RAIA DATA ENTRY FORMThis data entry form follows the UIA format with some additional fields and full details that will be referred tofrom UIA.Author:Author Contact Details:Street name & NoCityStateEric Martin(Blocks of descriptive text have been taken from:Citation for ICI House on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR NoH786.Taylor, Jennifer Tall Buildings - Australian Business Going Up:1945-1970, Fine Art Media in assoc with Architecture Media,Melbourne, 2001in the preparation of this nomination.)10/68 Jardine StreetKINGSTONACTPostcode 2604Date: 24 January 2004Latest Update: 24 January 2004Status:Project ID:Image:Orica House (originally ICI House)Building / site description indexNOTE:This document presents the elements of description of buildings on which the tool developed for Internetsearches. An indexing form on the internet allows the on-line submission of this information. This documentis intended to let anyone who is willing to participate forward us information about buildings to be added tothe system without using the Web.Our description grid consists of three tables: A brief list of "objective" elements of description,______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 1

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA Format A report on the state of the building in order to point at protection needs, Six categories of criteria open to modification so as to bring contextual or national specificity to the fore.In this table both the criteria and their values are to be filled.Name of the Criteria column indicates the name of the element of description required (example: "Date ofdesign").Importance of the criteria column lets you to point at the particularly importance of one or severalelements of description of the building. You can here indicate (decreasing order A,B,C,D,E) whether anelement of description appears to you as decisive in its selection for the index.Not known elements of description may of course be left empty.RAIA DBfieldName of the CriteriaImportanceof thecriteriaYour Building______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 2

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatRAIA DBfieldName of the CriteriaImportanceof thecriteriaYour BuildingTABLE n° 1 : DESCRIPTION OF BUILDING / SITEMODULE 1 : IDENTITY OF THE BUILDING / SITECurrent nameOrica HousePrevious or other name(s) ICI (Name changed to Orica in 1998)Present ownerMacquarie BankStatus of the ownerAn independent Australasian companyMaterials and techniquesThe structure for ICI House is a rigid steelframe with insitu concrete floor slabs up to thefourth floor, with the remaining upper levelsbeing precast concrete floor units of invertedchannel sections (tubs) spanning 12ft (3.6m)between steel beams. This was then toppedwith a concrete slab. The steel frame for thebuilding was site-welded, allowing the end wallsto have precast concrete panels hung off themand then covered by the glass-aluminiumcurtain wall.The glass used for the curtain wall spandrelsand the end walls is a dusky blue ceramicenamelled glass imported from Belgium.The cladding material of the lift tower isreconstructed polished granite wall slabs, thefirst major use of this material in Australia. Thepanels are fixed by brass bolts which passthrough the structural steel and are then boltedinto brass sockets cast into the slabs.The granite used is grey crushed granite fromKingston, South Australia.DescriptionThe building is an open plan concrete encasedsteel framed structure elevated on pilotis overwhat was originally an open undercroft. Themain body of the building is clad with framedglazed curtain walling. The floors of thebuilding are of precast concrete invertedchannel sections panels. The building iscomprised of 21 stories, including the groundfloor and two floors below ground. The servicecore is expressed as a separate element fromthe main glass clad body of the building.Year of project design 1955Year of beginning of construction 1956Year of end of construction 1958Initial Design (if differs fromdescription) and changesThe initial design differed significantly from whatwas to become the final scheme. The heightand postiion on site of the lift tower (20 storeys)and the tower (19 storeys and roof structure)were all to change. In August 1955, thebuilding had open ground space all around the______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 3

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatDocumentation and Referencesbase of the buildng including a 40ft (12.19m)setback from its southern facade on AlbertStreet. Within this setback was a carpark anda flat-roofed canopy. At this stage the buildingappeared to be completely glazed on threesides, with the fourth being expressed as adetached lift tower on the east side. Thebuilding was to sit on pilotes and there was aroof terrace with an open roof structure.By May 1957 the prismatic slab block had beenshifted to front directly onto Albert Street. Itwas now 21 storeys, which included a roofstructure. The carpark remained in its originalposition but was now covered by the tower slababove. A major formal change was that the tall,thin east and west elevations were delineatedas solid elements. From the north attachedsunshades, a landscaped garden with abiomorphic sculpture located close to NicholsonStreet, and the lift and service tower weredelineated as a discrete tower block presenteda completely different and highly modulatedfacade. In July 1957 the east and west endwalls were delineated once again as glass, asthe precast panels were covered by the blueglazed skin. The ground floor was a carefullydesigned garden including sculpture and spacefor visitors cars. The building included a newcorporate foyer.Citation for ICI House on the Victorian HeritageRegister, VHR No H786.“ICI House Melbourne” in Architecture inAustralia, September 1959Goad, Philip Ed, Judging Architecure, RAIA,2003Taylor, Jennifer Tall Buildings AustralianBusiness Going Up: 1945-1970, Fine Art Mediain assoc with Architecture Media, Melbourne,2001MODULE 2 : BUILDING / SITE LOCALISATIONPostal Address: street, n°1-4 Nicholson Street and 510-532 Albert StreetPostal Address: town/suburbEAST MELBOURNEPostal Address: Postal code 3000Urban centre/cityMELBOURNECanton (Local Government area)Melbourne CityRegion (State)VictoriaCountryAustraliaRegional Context (ex:Port Philip Bay, Victoria, AustraliaMediterranean basin, etc…)ContinentAustraliaUrban context (ex: Port, newCapital city of Victoria, port.town, etc…)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 4

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatMODULE 3 : AUTHORSProject Design:Name, first name, (dates), job,country of originSir Walter Osborn McCutcheon (1899-1983)was the team and design leader of the team inBates Smart and McCutcheon. BornMelbourne, Australia 1899. McCutcheon haddesigned AMP House, Collins Street in 1929-31, Buckley and Nunn Store, Bourke Street in1933, ICI’s research laboratories in Deer Parkin 1956, Wilson Hall, University of Melbourne1952 and MLC buildings in many cities in the1950s.Information on the author / theteamThe team was a group of architects andstructural engineers from within BSM. Twoother of BSM’s five partners were directlyinvolved. H Selwyn Bates dealt with client andadministrative matters. Douglas Gardiner,architect and technician was the detail anddocumentation partner.See alsohttp://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P003760b.htmhttp://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/scripts/tia-dynindex.php3?EID=P003760Engineering:Name, first name, (dates), job,country of originEngineering associate in BSM was Harvey HBrown a structural engineer who was theengineering contributor to the cumulativetechnical success of the office’s high riseconstruction techniques after his appointmentas associate partner in 1951Mechanical consultantsW E Bassett and AssociatesElectrical consultantsJulius Poole and GibsonConstruction:Name, first name, (dates), job,country of originGarden DesignName, first name, (dates), job,country of originE A Watts Pty LtdThe garden, its water feature and fountain, all ofwhich remain intact, were the result of acollaboration between the architects, landscapearchitect John Stevens and sculptor GeraldLewers, whose fountain sculpture is an intrinsicfeature of the garden.Information on the author / theteam______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 5

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatContracting Authority:Name, first name, (dates), job,country of originICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) anindependent company. Chairman in the 1950swho initiated the building was Kenneth Begg.Information on the author / theteamMODULE 4 : TYPOLOGYType (single building/complex)Initial usePresent usePlanned use)Architectural StyleSee also www.orica.com/businessSingle buildingCommercial officesCommercial officesCommercial officesMid-Twentieth Century (1940-60) InternationalStyleMODULE 5 : EVALUATION (Analysis of significance)BackgroundTechnicalComments/EvaluationThe design ICI House illustrates a tendency inMelbourne between 1890 and 1960 toinventively blend, assimilate and reformulateinternational ideas with local concerns. Thewar-induced overlay of industrial imperatives inconstruction, delivery and an aesthetic ofrepetitive efficiency was enthusiasticallyembraced. Internally, industrially producedsurfaces and veneers and individuallycommissioned artworks replacedembellishment by craft.ICI House demonstrates considerableadvancements in local construction techniques.These include the framed glazed curtain wallsand innovative use of concrete, includingprecast reinforced units as floor and spandrelmembers. The division of the glazed officesfrom the solidly clad service tower was amongthe first in the world.From its completion in November 1958 until1961 it was the tallest building in Australia.While curtain walling had previously been usedto a small degree on facades in Melbourne, itsuse on ICI House was especially important inthat the whole main body of the building is cladwith it.At the time of construction it was believed thatthe east elevation of ICI House was the largestarea of enamelled glass in the world.The reconstructed polished granite on the lifttower was the first major use of this material inAustraliaThe ICI building’s curtain wall was proposed 2.5years after the Skidmore Owings and MerrillLever House in New York and was______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 6

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatSocialComments/EvaluationAestheticComments/EvaluationContextualComments/EvaluationHistoricalComments/Evaluationinternationally amongst the first of these newcorporate towers.Other curtain wall buildings prior to this or at thesame time are the United Nations Secretariat1947-50, Lake Shaw Drive Apartments 1948-51, Seagram Building 1954-58, Inland SteelBuilding 1955-58 which has a separate servicecore as does ICI, Chase Manhattan Bank 1955-61, and although not high-rise General Motorstechnical Centre 1948-56.Another interesting building that was flushglazed and appeared as if a curtain wall is theEquitable Life Insurance Building, Portland,1944-47.The social aspects related to the technical andaesthetic values and the ground floor publicspace.At its time it was a modernist aesthetic not ofcubist abstraction but one of system building,repetition and modular planning and one inwhich the glass curtain wall modulated byaluminium framing was found to be the thinnest,lightest and most efficiently erected skin.No other building of its time could match thecomprehensive resolution of glass curtain wall,landscaped garden and plaza, interior fitout anddistinctive urban setting.From its opening ICI House was hailed as themost accomplished glass tower in Australia inthe 1950’s.ICI House was a major architectural statementwhich contributed to Melbourne’s position as aparticipant in innovative world architecture inthe 1950’s. Its design follows continueddevelopments in international style modernismand such as the Ministry of Education andHealth, Rio De Janeiro by Niemeyer and Costa,1937-43, Lever House, New York by Skidmore,Owings and Merrill, 1952 and The UnitedNations Secretariat, new York by WallaceHarrison, 1953.ICI represents the development of a typology ofhigh rise glass curtain wall office buildings.ICI House was a landmark in the planning ofthe City of Melbourne. The building was morethan double the previous height restrictionenforced in Victoria and the design waspermitted under the Uniform BuildingRegulations changes in 1955 because the sitecoverage was examined as a percentage of thetotal site area. This led to plot ratiodeterminations for city sites and the eventual______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 7

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA Formatredefinition of the central Melbourne skyline.The garden (along with its component parts i.e.:the Lewers fountain and the water feature) is ofsignificance due to its role in determining theplot ratio that allowed the breaking of the heightlimit as well as defining the original formal entryto the building.ICI House represents architects Bates Smartand McCutcheon’s most refined work in theirtypological development of the post-war glazedskyscraper, and as such is a rare and survivingmonument to the ideals of corporate modernismof the 1950’s – the corporation as embodied byan all-glass curtain-walled tall building – thepost war realisation of Ludwig Mies van derRohe’s crystal skyscraper projects of the1920’s. Yet its architects employed anaesthetic of efficiency associated with themobilisation of the construction industry, thescience of building systems and design throughteamwork – a direct product of wartimeexperience – which followed the GermanExpressionists’ transcendental idealisation ofglass as the utopian material of the future.OriginalityComments/ EvaluationThe building’s main entry is now off AlbertStreet through a foyer that was sympatheticallyremodelled in 1989 by the original architects.This originally was the secondary entrancewhereas the main entrance was through thelandscaped garden entered off NicholsonStreet.The building is substantially intact externally buthas been refitted internally.AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCENil______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 8

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatTABLE n° 2: STATE OF BUILDING / SITEMODULE 1 : ANALYSIS OF CURRENT STATEState of building and defacementGoodEvaluation of danger (decreasingEorder A,B,C,D,E)Nature of dangerNilComments -MODULE 2 : PROTECTIONTypeAdministrative level of protectionInstitution accountablePlanned restorationListed on State Heritage RegisterListed as a Heritage Place but interiors are notcovered by Heritage Victoria.Victorian Government, Heritage VictoriaNone proposed or required.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 9

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatTo fill in this last table, two types of answers are possible:• A description of the building according to each module's theme, or, for a sharper analysis,• The addition of new criteria that you consider as relevant in the description of the building (examplesgiven below). In this case the answer includes the criterion name and the value it takes for the building.TABLE n° 3 : CHARACTERISATION OF THE BUILDING / SITE(Significance of the building under the Stated Criteria)Categories of CriteriaMODULE 1 : PERIOD OF DESIGN /CONSTRUCTIONIn relation with trend it represents(social, political, and aesthetic ...).MODULE 2 : FORMAL ARCHITECTURALVALUESpecific formal qualities orrepresentativeness of a building inrelation with the trend it represents(social, political, and aesthetic ...).MODULE 3 : RELATION TO THELOCATIONSpatial context of the building (globalor local environment)MODULE 4 : MONUMENTAL OR SYMBOLICAL SIGNIFICANCEValue connected with history ofbuildingOn its completion in 1958 the ICI Building wasthe tallest building in Australia, the eastelevation had the largest area of enamelledglass in the world, the use of reconstructedpolished granite was the first major use of thismaterial in Australia. Its curtain wall wasamong the first corporate towers in the world.ICI’s modernist aesthetic is one of outstandingdesign using system building, repetition andmodular planning of which the glass curtainwall is a major element.The other elements of the landscape garden,sculpture and ground floor setting contributedgreatly to the high aesthetic qualities of thebuilding.No other building of its time could match thecomprehensive resolution of glass curtainwall, landscaped garden and plaza, interiorfitout and distinctive urban setting.ICI House was a major architectural statementat the high eastern end of Melbourne CBD. Itmade a dominant mark on the skyline as itwas the first to take advantage of greaterheight possibilities due to revisions to theUniform Building Regulations.The building is monumental in that it is alandmark building which is a refined design ofa glazed curtain wall skyscraper.MODULE 5 : ATYPICITYSignificant originality of works /buildingThe building was designed by Sir WalterOsborn McCutcheon, director of one ofAustralia’s leading architectural practices.Other key contributors were: partner DouglasGardiner (BSM) engineer Harvey H Brown(BSM), Landscape Architect John Stevensand Sculpture Gerald Lewers.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 10

EMAEric Martin and AssociatesRAIA RSTCA UIA Nominations2K02RAIA FormatMODULE 6 : CONSTRUCTION / STRUCTUREIn which areas is the building aforerunner or exemplaryICI House demonstrates considerableadvancements for its time particularly inpremanufactured components includingframed glazed curtain walls and precastreinforced concrete units including flooring.STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCEIn which areas is the building aforerunner or exemplaryICI House is a landmark building withoutstanding modernist aesthetics of a glasscurtain wall building of the 1950s.At its time it was the tallest building inAustralia, had the largest area of enamelledglass in the world and was the first major useof reconstructed polished granite in Australia.It was innovative for its time particularly withits premanufactured components includingframed glazed curtain wall and precastreinforced concrete units including flooring.The building has high aesthetic appeal with itsground floor and distinctive urban setting withits pilotis design and plaza incorporating alandscape garden and sculpture.The building is the major work by one ofAustralia’s leading architects, Sir WalterOsborn McCutcheon with contributions byarchitect partner Douglas Gardiner, structuralengineer Harvey M Brown, LandscapeArchitect John Stevens and Sculptor GeraldLewers.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 11

EMA Eric Martin and Associates 2K02RAIA RSTCA UIA NominationsRAIA FormatIMAGE and PLANImage:Plans______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 12

EMA Eric Martin and Associates 2K02RAIA RSTCA UIA NominationsRAIA Format______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________T:\Communications Manager\UIA Heritage Register Citations\ICI_House.doc 13