Brisbane's Cultural Centre might look like a collection of bland concrete boxes to some, but to others it's a heritage gem worth protecting.
The Cultural Centre – including the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum, QPAC, the Cultural Forecourt and The Edge at the State Library of Queensland – will be protected under a new Conservation Management Plan to guide future planning and development.
The South Bank site was heritage-listed in 2015.
Premier and Arts Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Cultural Centre was a much-loved and iconic Brisbane site and the formal guidelines would protect its heritage significance while allowing it to adapt to future needs.
"I'm delighted this plan will ensure the original design by the late acclaimed architect Robin Gibson will be respected as part of any potential enhancements and development," Ms Palaszczuk said.
The Queensland Cultural Centre was initially developed in four stages from 1976 and 1988 and cost about $200 million at the time.
A fifth stage, QPAC's Playhouse Theatre, was completed in 1998.
The buildings and landscaping are considered an example of late-20th-century "international style" architecture.
When QPAC was opened in 1985, the Daily Sun described it as a "jewel to crown a city" and a "performing arts centre to rival the world's best" while radio host Haydn Sargent said it "really is just the most wonderful and most exciting thing for Brisbane".
Australian Institute of Architects national president Richard Kirk said the Cultural Centre was probably one of the country's most significant post-war brutalist buildings.
"It's beautifully crafted and has some of the most important interior spaces in Brisbane," Mr Kirk said.
Mr Kirk said the brutalist style was about using materials in their raw state.
"I think in some ways a lot of these buildings [from this period] have been poorly treated over time because I don't think they were well appreciated," he said.
"They're certainly very rare in Australia, as they've either been modified extensively or they've been demolished.
"But as time goes on, you see a renewed interest in them, people realise they're just as rare as a sandstone neo-classical building."
Mr Kirk said by heritage-listing a building that was only a few decades old, it sent the message that contemporary architecture was also important.
To anyone who thinks the area just looks like concrete boxes, Mr Kirk said he would encourage them to take another look.
"Firstly you acknowledge the way it's been built is of a very high order," he said.
"Some of the spaces inside are just superb – the water mall, which is an amazing space with a large water feature with a ribbed concrete skylight overhead ... It's an exceptional space.
"I think it's an incredibly innovative building for its time and its still incredibly relevant.
"I dare say it's an example of public investment in good infrastructure."
The concrete used was a mix of white cement from South Australia, fine white sand from Stradbroke Island and fine and coarse aggregates from the Pine River.
When South Brisbane was selected as the site for the new Queensland Art Gallery in 1969, the area was in decline, but the Cultural Centre helped transform the area.
Mr Gibson received several major awards for his work, including the Royal Australian Institute of Architects' highest recognition, the Gold Medal, in 1989.
When he first won an official competition for the design of an art gallery in 1973, Mr Gibson's vision included: "Externally, the gallery is seen as an ordered expression of the internal spaces presenting to the city a series of integrated landscaped roof areas and garden walls."
After winning the competition, the government sponsored a trip so Mr Gibson could visit six countries and 26 galleries and museums.
The project was later expanded to include a cultural centre with a new museum, state library and performing arts centre.
Under the Conservation Management Plan, specialist advice will be sought to review any work planned for the site relating to architecture or landscape, including maintenance or alternations that may impact on its heritage significance.
The plan was developed following consultation led by Conrad Gargett architects and heritage consultants, and a roundtable including Queensland Government Architect Malcolm Middleton and architect Kristina Gibson – daughter of Mr Gibson.
0 comments
New User? Sign up