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WITH CITY WALKING TOUR ‘This is IMPACTFUL ARCHITECTURE, BOTH FUNCTIONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL, providing a greater public good than just the sum of individual buildings.’ – Peter Poulet, 23rd NSW Government Architect, 2016 FOREWORD For 200 years New South Wales weaving together plans, images wrote despairingly that has been shaped by the ideas and other items, applying his he hoped soon ‘there will and imaginings of a unique group inimitable knowledge of this state’s be a new Government of architects. The legacy of their architectural and social history. Architect and may be a service as government architects It is a story and an exhibition new and less “pigheaded” lies in the design and realisation that touches us all. It is hard to Principal Librarian’. of many thousands of buildings. imagine our towns, our cities and In addition to the Not all survive; not all were our lives without the ubiquitous Government Architect and even built, existing today only public buildings created by our his staff, we acknowledge in description or perhaps in government architects. It is a story the support of a number plans. Yet as today’s Government that touches us as we walk our of our partner cultural institutions Architect, Peter Poulet, comments, streets, visit towns, go to school, which have generously lent items, their legacy is architecture with attend court, seek medical aid, read in particular, State Records NSW, enormous impact that amounts in a library. the Museum of Applied Arts to far more than the sum of the It is fitting to hold this exhibition & Sciences, the National Archives individual buildings, an impact that in the State Library as our buildings of Australia, the Australian Institute continues in our cities and towns. LEFT: SKETCH DESIGN FOR A FREE — including the earlier one on of Architects, the National Art PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1883 WATERCOLOUR AND INK SKETCH We are delighted to join with the the corner of Bent Street — have School, and the University of BY JAMES BARNET, PRESENTED 1933 Government Architect and his staff been designed and adapted by the Sydney Archives. PXD 45/4 to celebrate their extraordinary Government Architect’s offices. We Imagined but never built, this design for a public history and legacy at their 200th value the partnership between our ALEX BYRNE library and technological anniversary. Over many months, historic institutions, a partnership NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive museum was intended for curator Dr Charles Pickett has which has endured and matured the site occupied by the Hyde Park Barracks. delved through our collection since my predecessor WH Ifould iii State Library of NSW Macquarie Street Sydney 2000 Australia Telephone +61 (0) 2 9273 1414 www.sl.nsw.gov.au Follow us on #publicmade @statelibrarynsw Published to accompany the exhibition Imagine a city: 200 years of public architecture in NSW A free exhibition at the State Library of NSW 20 February – 8 May 2016 Exhibition opening hours: Weekdays 9 am to 5 pm Thursdays until 8 pm Weekends 10 am to 5 pm Curator: Dr Charles Pickett Government Architect’s Office liaison and research: Matthew Devine Curatorial liaison: Margot Riley Creative producer: Jennifer Blunden Senior exhibition designer: Matthew Guzowski Graphic designer: Dominic Hon Editor: Helen Cumming Creative producer, multimedia: Sabrina Organo Senior conservator: Helen Casey Registrar: Lauren Dalla Photography: Joy Lai Printer: Lindsay Yates & Partners Pty Ltd Paper: 300gsm Ecostar 100% Recycled Gloss cover, 115 gsm Ecostar 100% Recycled Matt inside pages, 90gsm Ecostar 100% Recycled Uncoated walking guide COVER AND BACK COVER: Print run: 8000 P&D 4520-2/2016 FROM RIGHT: (DETAILS) DESIGN FOR A FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1883 (P. ii); ISBN 0 7313 7229 8 STATE OFFICE BLOCK, 1968 (P. 2); GENERAL POST OFFICE, SYDNEY, 1892 (P. 22); ROZELLE PUBLIC © State Library of NSW February 2016 SCHOOL, 1885 (P. 20); SUPREME COURT HOUSE, SYDNEY, 1845 (P. 19); This publication has been made possible through the generous support of Dr Alan Matthews MACQUARIE LIGHTHOUSE SOUTH HEAD, 1885 (P. 34) This exhibition has been supported by the NSW Government Architect’s offices. The State Library of NSW is a statutory authority of, and principally funded by, the NSW state government. CONTENTS FOREWORD EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian Building for the future: & Chief Executive iii The first government architect 16 Temples of justice: AN INSPIRING AND IMPACTFUL ARCHITECTURE Designing law and order 18 Peter Poulet, NSW Government Architect 3 Educating a democracy: Spaces for learning IMAGINE A CITY 20 Dr Charles Pickett, exhibition curator 6 A city to be proud of: Sydney becomes a metropolis 22 ‘A monument in every town’ Landmarks and statements 24 WALK WITH ME - pullout This belongs to you: Join Dr Charles Pickett Sydney’s arts buildings 26 on a self-guided Sydney centre walking tour pages THE OFFICE 200 years of NSW government architects 30 LIST OF WORKS 35 SOME FURTHER READING 40 STATE OFFICE BLOCK, 1968 PHOTOGRAPH BY MAX DUPAIN © MAX DUPAIN & ASSOCIATES PXD 720/ 87 Part of the 1960s skyscraper boom, the State Office Block demonstrated the government architect’s continuing capacity to create innovative city buildings. Until surpassed by Australia Square a few years later, the 35-floor tower was Sydney’s tallest building. Seen here through the Palace Garden gates designed by James Barnet, it was demolished in 1997 to make way for a tower designed by ‘starchitect’ Renzo Piano. 2 AN INSPIRING AND IMPACTFUL ARCHITECTURE Architecture is powerful. This year the role of the NSW Buildings can be FEARLESS, buildings can be Our public buildings frame our Government Architect celebrates public life, contributing to our its bicentenary, making it one of OF THEIR TIME and buildings can be collective psyche and to our the oldest continually operating understanding of ourselves and architectural practices in the CONTROVERSIAL. our aspirations. Our most successful world. For 200 years this office public buildings can endure physical has created public buildings that Since Francis Greenway, changes as well as changes in define our past and our present. the ambition of attitudes, uses and the make-up The history of the Government government architects of the population they serve. Architect’s office also charts the has been to design evolution of architecture in Australia Buildings can be fearless, public buildings and since European settlement. buildings can be of their time places for the good The office has made significant and buildings can be controversial. of the public. Every contributions to the public realm This exhibition highlights the role successive government of our cities and towns and the of public architecture to affect the architect has promoted architecture created — both character and form of our cities. the value of investing in functional and inspirational — As Government Architect, I am good design to develop provides a greater public good responsible for achieving design healthy, liveable and than just the sum of individual prosperous communities excellence in our public buildings PETER POULET, buildings. Collectively, these — environments that people want NSW GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT and in the public realm, making COURTESY GOVERNMENT projects exemplify the community ARCHITECT’S OFFICE, design synonymous with liveability to live and work in. The Government aspirations of their time. DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, throughout the state. I am also Architect’s office has always SERVICES AND INNOVATION the custodian of the work of my encouraged government and predecessors. The success of industry to innovate, particularly my office in doing this has been in design and technology. Our acknowledged by winning awards challenge is to find new and better for our work over many years. ways to source and deliver the very best ideas and newest methods from industry. This exhibition reveals many examples of new ideas and innovation which meet the needs and aspirations of the times. 3 4 ‘As we now know, good design is a cornerstone of developing Good architecture is relevant to From the 1930s, many of our HEALTHY, LIVEABLE and PROSPEROUS its time. The earliest examples projects reflected the growing by Francis Greenway reflect the international architecture trends COMMUNITIES.’ aspirations of a small but growing of modernism and the more settlement. Most of the work of the expressive brutalism, particularly in Over the coming decades, 19th-century civil architects was health and education. At this time, population growth will be designed in a grand neo-classical the Government Architect’s Branch concentrated in our major cities. style, to convey solidity, power had a staff of over 400, producing Our challenge will be to make and strength, as typified by the approximately 60 hospitals, 300 places of wellbeing that will be overwhelming scale and character schools and technical colleges, inspiring, resilient and last well of Barnet’s post offices and 30 courthouses, police stations into the future, while working in courthouses. and gaols, 20 university buildings, partnership with a robust and 1 LEFT: METROPOLITAN FIRE STATION, and 10 office blocks per year. mature industry. This will only be SECTIONS AND ELEVATIONS, 1888 The approach of Federation LITHOGRAPH BY JAMES BARNET and the appointment of Walter The post World War II baby achieved through the Government PXD 532/FOLDER 29/1 Architect continuing to champion Liberty Vernon as head of the new boom required rapid methods of As taller buildings became Government