House - Australian Institute of Architects

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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
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House - Australian Institute of Architects

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