The question of significance

THE QUESTION OF AUSTRALIAN SIGNIFICANCE

Regardless of the success of curtain wall buildings, and especially Berger House’ performance and function, architectural significance is grounded in a buildings ability to reflect the social, political and economic climate of a specific moment in time. This criteria provides a framework in which architects, historians and critics can assess building in order to not only determine overall significance, but also specific components of the building.

From the mid 1950’s Australia entered into its own post-war construction boom, marking the end of the depression and continued for a decade.

Inspired by the success of tall office buildings throughout the United States, the curtain wall as a model for commercial construction was quickly accepted and utilized throughout Australia. The adoption of this model was a direct result of the social, political and economic climate of the time.1 Jennifer Taylor discusses this in detail in her book titled “Tall Buildings, Australian Business Going Up: 1945-1970. Taylor highlights that “the glazed buildings had particular appeal (in Australia) as it symbolized American prosperity, and through association, the companies sought to represent a parallel economic recovery in Australia”2

The financial boom saw a rise in financial institutions and commercial buildings moving to Sydney CBD, quickly making Sydney the financial capital of Australia. The rise of commercial architecture and increase in property prices pushed all residential projects out of the city.

Berger house, completed in 1955 is cited as the first post war steel framed tall building with an independent curtain wall.

1. Taylor, Jennifer. 2001. Tall Buildings Australian Business Going Up: 1945-1970. Sydney: Fine Art Publishing Pty Ltd. 2. Taylor, Jennifer. 2001.

Lend Lease House, 1962, Harry Seidler Unilever House, 1955, Stephenson & Turner

ICI Circular Quay, 1956, Bates Smart & McCutcheon

AMP Building, 1962, Commonweath Department of Works

Sun Alliance Building, 1965, Peddle Thorp & Walker

Caltex House, 1957, E.M. Nichols

Liner House, 1960, Bunning & Madden Swire House, 1964, McConnel Smith & Johnson

Kindersley House, 1960, McConnel Smith & Johnson Kindersley House, 1960, McConnel Smith & Johnson

Qantas House, 1957, Rudder Littlemore & Rudder

Reserve Bank of Australia, 1964, Commonwealth Department of Works

Berger House, 1955, Stephenson & Turner

Commonwealth Bank, 1965, Commonwealth Department of Works

Right: Figure 5: Map of Sydney CBD, highlighting remaining & demolished key Curtain Wall office towers from 1955-1965. REMAINING DEMOLISHED

1. Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut, Glass Architecture and Alpine Architecture. Ed. Dennis Sharp, trans. James Palmes and Shirley Palmer (New York: Praeger, 1972),46. This volume contains English Translations of Scheedbart’s Glasarchitektur (1914) and Taut’s Alpine Architektur (1919). 2. “The Secretariat: A Campanile, a Cliff of Glass, a Great Debate,” Architectural Forum , November 1950, 108 3. Al-Kodmany, Kheir. “Green Retrofitting Skyscrapers: A Review.” Buildings 4, no. 4 (2014): 683-710. 4. Al-Kodmany, Kheir. 2014