84 Canberra Times, 31 May 2003; 17 December 2003; 6 February 2004.
3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
3.1 Setting
The main building is symmetrically placed on a block and is set within a landscape which incorporates the former Director’s Residence as a separate building and car parking and roads. It is in an area surrounded by national institutions such as ANU and Australian Academy of Science (Shine Dome).
3.2 Landscape
3.2.1 Background
Prior to the original development, the area had eucalyptus trees scattered over the site. Those trees not affected by the original building
were retained but only a few of these remain today. Some native grasses remain west of the residence.
The original landscape of the site was designed and implemented by Alexander E Bruce who was director of Parks and Gardens from 192636. It included avenues of trees around the site, and a scatter of trees throughout the site. The front of the building had a hedge around the drive and a rose garden and trees in the centre. The courtyard had a gravel path across lawns.
The residence had a private garden. By 1974 some hedging and the rose gardens had been removed.
Today, the 1970’s trees remain in the front lawn, although the detailed planting in the front of the building has been removed, as has the detailed planting around the residence. The courtyard has undergone several changes with the latest in 1988 when a ‘heritage’ design was created and further maintenance work in 2018.
The construction of the Annex in 1998 saw the loss of a section of the avenue of trees on Liversidge Street, and a number of mature Eucalypts. Since 1995, the Gabe Carpe memorial tree has been removed from the courtyard and replanted on the eastern side of the Main Building.
Figure 32: Early photograph of the building, 1936 (NFSA 2013)
General formal symmetrical layout of front (Front Entry Garden Beds and Front Lawns)
Integrity: Remains evident. Organic layout of high and low forecourt shrubs diminished the formal massing ‘plinth’ character. Minor asymmetry is introduced by the NFSA identifier/entry sign, and secondary driveway intersections, however these do not diminish overall symmetry at the landscape scale.
Condition: Some over-mature and missing plantings (Hebe, Coleonema, Agapanthus). As a result of sandstone restoration work the front gardens have been impacted and need review and upgrading.
b. The buildings in a landscape setting (ie. open grass with scattered trees)
Integrity: Remains somewhat evident. Construction of carparks with screening shrub plantings has introduced some interruptions to open grass context (especially the Residence lawns area and service island), however these provide benefit in terms of visual and spatial containment, and do not compromise the overall appreciation especially the southern façade. Other minor interruptions include picnic settings/shelters, bin enclosures, an artwork of placed stones, and signage, however these are minor.
Condition: Grass is in variable condition with some denuded patches, affected by rabbit droppings and digging, worn by various uses
and possibly deteriorating as a result of a reduction to irrigation during drought periods. Some areas of thinning/dead plantings are evident, notably at the Annex Liversidge Street Lawns, the north pathway,
the eastern walkway, beneath trees and along the Liversidge Street boundary of the west carpark, at the nitrate bunker in the service island, and in the front lawns.
c. Enclosure aspect of the courtyard
Integrity: Remains evident. The colonnade provides a distinctive built edge. Variable plant heights result in degrees of visual screening to/from the colonnade, however this does not affect the overall enclosure.
Condition: Plantings are generally in excellent health in the original courtyard, with some thinning of understorey and groundcover
plantings. The perimeter shrub plantings (Hebe) in the Annex courtyard are declining, and small areas of groundcover are deteriorating and exposing irrigation and subsided ground levels.
d. Remnant native vegetation (trees and native grasses)
Integrity: Remains somewhat evident. There may have been some loss of grasses in the residence Executive Carpark Garden as a result of tightly spaced trees (conifers, deciduous, native).
e. Remnant hedges to residence to front and between residence and north carpark
Integrity: Remains evident. The hedges are generally pruned to form.
Condition: Cupressus are over- grown as a hedge and presenting open trunks at a lower level, the Cotoneaster is a weed species, the Pyracantha is a weed species and over-mature, and the Photinia is over-mature and thinning.
f. More intimate garden around the residence
Integrity: Remains evident in the Residence lawns garden, provided by combinations of original hedge plantings, new hedge plantings installed as part of Annex
building works, climbing vines and fencing, and scattered shrubs. Remains somewhat evident in the Residence Executive Carpark garden, where visual and spatial character is compromised by sparse ground plane plantings in a predominantly loose scattered arrangement, a complicated and tightly spaced mix of conifer/ deciduous/native/ ornamental trees, large areas of unplanted mulch, surplus pavements, and car parking. In both gardens, proprietary shade structures, picnic settings, bin enclosures and vehicle control bollards/wheel stops detract from the garden setting.
Condition: Some thinning and missing plantings are evident in the Residence Lawns (notably between the Pyracantha hedge and lawn, and Camellia/Agapanthus/Azalea near the air-conditioning unit), but the broad character remains. Large areas of the Residence Executive Carpark garden are without plantings.
The built-in planter boxes on the Residence outer walls are empty.
g. Street trees (two avenues) on Liversidge Street (also: Perimeter Street tree plantings)
Integrity: Remains somewhat evident. Significant numbers of trees in the Liversidge Street outer avenue have been removed and not replaced. McCoy street verge trees remain largely intact. Replanting of an inner row of Celtis on McCoy with Zelkova appears to be in progress.
The design of the internal courtyard to main building (assumed reflected in Courtyard path pattern)
Integrity: Remains somewhat evident. A tree (Acer) overhangs the central pathway and diminishes the axial symmetry. The mixed materials, geometry and planting themes to the four quadrants possibly detract from the design intent in the original courtyard.
Other elements which may detract from appreciation of the original are contemporary ‘low-cost’ aluminium seating, brick columns positioned against colonnade, ceramic pots,
a Japanese lantern, and patched colonnade concrete with omission of brick inlays.
Condition: Refer above ‘Enclosure aspect of the courtyard’, and Canopy Tree Experts report (February 2016).
h. Sir Colin Mackenzie memorial pool
Integrity: Is present.
Condition: Operational.
i. Memorial tree to Gabe Carpe
Integrity: Tree and plaque
both present.
3.3 Main Building
3.3.1 Exterior
The main building is a two-storey masonry building with a full basement. It is clad in Hawkesbury sandstone and features an Australian stripped classical style with Art Deco details.
Refer Figure 36 to Figure 42. Some photographs are included here with more in Attachment 2.
The main façade features a central slightly protruding curved entry portico, which is accessed by a flight of granite steps. Either side of the entrance, the façade is modulated by full height sandstone faced fluted panels and windows. The head of the columns has an engraved panel featuring lizards. Between the panels and windows is a bay of windows at each floor level. The spandrel panels below the windows are decorated with ornate glazed terracotta tiles featuring a deco design.
At each end of the main façade, the walls are modelled with protruding profiled panels of sandstone at the ground floor level and a circular projecting stone at the upper level. This same detail carries through to the side façades, which are generally flush sandstone, with high level steel framed windows (into the galleries).
A large sandstone dish (originally built as a flower bed) is located on either side of the main entry with a light pole located in the centre.
Some sandstone sills and string courses were replaced in 1986–87 and some patching of sandstone has previously been undertaken. The sandstone has generally deteriorated with some joints opening up and spalling. This underwent conservation in 2018–19 and is now in good condition
The roof is a flat roof, originally a membrane but with metal roof over the galleries. There were leaks to the roof and skylights which were rectified in 2019. The rainwater heads and downpipes are copper. The roof is now in good condition.
There are some lower level windows that provide light on the basement which are of ribbed glass block. Some of the original blocks have been removed and replaced b louvres or infilled. There are ventilating holes to the basement on the east and to the upper level on the north and south
Figure 43: Lower level windows and louvres (EMAA 2018)
Windows adjacent to the main entry include decorative bronze grilles.
Window frames are bronze coloured.
The north and south sides have no ground floor window (as they are a theatre, library and galleries) but the upper windows have internal and externa windows with a 200mm gap. The original glass was “tapestry” obscured glass which appears to remain.
Other elements include a goods hoist installed in 1986-7 to the south side for basement access, a nitrate bunker to the south which is a concrete building with earth mounded on three sides and a concrete and steel balustrade access ramp to the north (now not used).
The Annex is a two-storey building with a flat projecting copper roof with copper rainwater heads
and downpipes similar to the main building.
Walls are sandstone or sandstone coloured precast concrete. The west side has a pattern of panels and windows with coloured spandrels not unlike the pattern to the east side of the main building. Windows are bronze coloured aluminium. The north and south sides are mainly bronze colour aluminium louvres to plant areas.
Figure 47: Annex – South – Loading Dock Area (EMAA 2018)
The interior of the building carries through the deco style in the detail of the floors, ceilings and joinery. A recurring element through the detailing is a chevron (arrow) which is used in most spaces of the building in one form or other. The entry foyer and side corridors have a high quality of detailing with marble and ceramic tiled floors respectively. The entry foyer has marble pilasters and sandstone surround to the entry doors.
3.4.1 Basement
The basement includes a range of service rooms (plant and equipment) and storerooms.
Original walls are generally rendered and painted and later walls steel and timber stud lined with plasterboard. Perimeter walls still have rising damp problems and, in heavy rain, water penetration. This is managed by a false wall and false floor in part of the north wing.
Floors are generally epoxy coated concrete and are sound.
The structural system to the gallery floors is a concrete column which bells out and supports an “Innes-Bell Hollow Block” slab.85
Blocks were placed in the formwork with spaces between so that the concrete effectively forms a waffle slab. Blocks were left out at the column head to accommodate extra reinforcement.