High Court awarded RAIA 25 Year Award

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High Court awarded RAIA 25 Year Award

4 July 2008

The enduring architecture of Edwards Madigan Torzillo Briggs design of the High Court of Australia was acknowledged with the Australian Institute of Architects’ 25 Year Award. The award citation notes “…the High Court makes a substantial contribution to the aesthetic qualities of the central national area of Canberra and is a landmark…it continues to play a major role in the life of Australia…”.

 

Full Award Citation 

The High Court of Australia building is one of the outstanding examples of modern architecture in Australia. It is an impressive building with a strong ceremonial quality reflecting its status and role. The design was the result of a competition in 1972. Construction commenced in 1975 and the building was completed in 1980. The design was undertaken by the architectural firm Edwards Madigan Torzillo Briggs.

The building is the high point in the career of Associate Director Christopher Kringas and, along with the design of the National Gallery, of Director Colin Madigan. Following Kringas’ death in 1975, design development was led by Colin Madigan. Harry Howard led the design team for the landscaping. The High Court is an excellent example of Late Twentieth Century Brutalist style and a finely crafted building. Key features of the building include:

_strong sculptural forms;

_the monumental character of the exterior and interior including the ceremonial ramp, water feature and foyer;

_large areas of bush-hammered off-white concrete structure and glazing supported on tubular steel frames; and

_the honest expression of functional spaces and their inter-relationships, of structure, materials, services and forms.

The building offers an exciting aesthetic of projecting and recessed forms, a vast, tall foyer, and a large glass wall to the south. Major spatial elements include the ceremonial ramp and water feature, forecourt, impressive monumental foyer/public hall, and Courtroom No. 1. The range of finishes displays considerable craftsmanship including the concrete and timber work. The building features specially commissioned artworks including those integrated into the building detailing, the large water feature as part of the ceremonial ramp, murals and doors.

The High Court has eleven levels and is 41 metres high, it houses three main courtrooms, Justices’ chambers, public areas and support facilities. There is a private roof garden area whose landscape was designed as part of the landscaping around the building. The design reflects a key decision on the height of the main level of the building which was based on a proposed National Place or monumental plaza centered on the Land Axis. This plaza proposal was later abandoned.

The High Court is part of a significant precinct that includes the National Gallery of Australia and extensive significant landscaping. The two buildings and landscaping were designed by the same consultants as part of an integrated design. The buildings share a similar architectural style although expressed through quite different but complimentary forms.

The High Court makes a substantial contribution to the aesthetic qualities of the central national area of Canberra and is a landmark. The completion of the High Court was an important historical and symbolic act in the realisation of a permanent home for the High Court, and it continues to play a major role in the life of Australia. It was and continues to be important in reinforcing the national character of Canberra.

The High Court, along with the National Gallery, is one of nine Australian buildings/building complexes nominated by the RAIA to the UIA World Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture. In 1980, the building was awarded the Canberra Medallion by the RAIA (ACT Chapter). The building displays a high level of integrity, has been well maintained, functions extremely well, and remains a wonderful and cherished working and ceremonial environment.