8. Zones

8.1. Background

The zones are the first point of call in the process of undertaking an action. They provide an initial snapshot of the heritage values of the place, and an indication of how spaces can and cannot be used or changed.

The zones have been developed based on the mapped heritage values of the place and their sensitivity to change. They provide a summary of the layering of these heritage values and emphasise areas where multiple values exist. They also encapsulate the overarching framework of linked management requirements and policies. Permitted actions apply to specific zones, this is described in more detail in Chapter 12.

The zones seek to convey these heritage values and managerial requirements by providing statements of intent supported by objectives. These statements of intent and objectives capture the intent of the policies and the core principles in order to assist in planning and decision-making.

Old Parliament House is divided into six zones:

Landmark Zone: the setting; the façade and other external faces; front, rear and side entrances; courtyards and light wells; plantings.

Chambers Zone: the House of Representatives and Senate Chambers; King’s Hall and the stairs leading to it; Public and Press Galleries.

Politics and Party Zone: all offices, suites and lobbies surrounding the Chambers Zone on the Main Floor; the Parliamentary Library; all offices and committee rooms on the lower floor surrounding the House of Representatives and Senate under-chambers and downstairs areas.

House of Representatives and Senate Wing Zone: the House of Representatives and Senate Wings.

Ancillary Functions Zone: the Members’ Dining Room and Kitchen; Billiard Room; Members’ Bar; Members’ Private Dining Room; Non-Members’ Bar; plant rooms; storage rooms; basements and courtyards.

Movable Heritage Zone: all objects and furniture designed and built, or acquired, during the period in which the Australian Parliament resided in the place.

Many management objectives are common across all of the zones.

8.1.1. Landmark Zone

Rationale

This zone brings together a discrete suite of architectural, symbolic and landscape elements that can coherently and logically be considered as a single unit. The external appearance and setting of Old Parliament House are essential to the building’s landmark status and to the integrated urban design of the capital city conceived by Walter Burley Griffin. The façade and exterior faces are the most public, prominent and recognisable elements of the building and have been maintained in a single style and colour through different phases of modification or addition. As a result, the exteriors of all periods share the same heritage values and demand the same or similar management regimes. The front and rear entrances are integral to the Landmark Zone. Significant exteriors also continue throughout the building’s internal courtyards. These courtyards reflect a continuity of Murdoch’s aesthetic. The immediate curtilage to the building, including the grassed areas, trees and rose gardens, is an important component of the setting that remains within the landscape.