Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

city's kindred spirit Good nrchitecturc, like good music, is timele ·s. MIiiions ot people Irn v<•I thou: nncls ot kilometr~s ench yenr to experience Lh~ spirit ot old cities in distant countries. As they 1110,·e from t·lty to cur. r r o 111 one bulldlns complex, .bQUarr, rnuntaln, to the l licr. I heir guide tells them the hlw,ry or It, ntnrly ulwn"ti co111m£1nc!11!.: with the nnme or the 1trch1tc t Rnd his client, he it POJlt', kllly or Industrial corporntion. All architects o, 1 er the ccnturte.'\ who created nr<'hitccturc or ex– cellence had one thing In ('0111- mon - they Rll had nn enlight– ened client. Clients should tnkc equal credit or otherwise. Cor lhc architecture the)' arc getting. One or l,he mnlndles of 11 con– temporary architect Is thnt his traditional cllent•nscr ls bcl11g often replaced by 111011ey-hu11gry cllent-dereiopcr, whose only con• sldenl tion Is dollars per square metre. who docs llOL care for such finer social nnd human nrecl!i as hnrmony nntl bcaull'. or crc11 such basic Pnd practical rec,uire• mcnts as mnlntenar:cc cost. A city and Its people are Ill• :;epnralJ 1 e 11ncl nn "illlltnn n1 11.:- 111~ or chsllk.11g thi"lll l, 1111,ctP In eomlmlfluon of onr to 1hc ot hrr. Jlr1sha ne !s cndowecl wtth n.-, nwn nrl r111~ 1·tv r. roncts w1nrtin~ L>c1 wee11 hill.~. ii~ ln fnrmnlity nnd fricndl ncs~ nnrl 1ll'<i l111pcr1ec• IIOIH. I lor ' B n hbano for whnt IL lh nnr1 tor wlrn If r1111 he. 1 11111 ul'-O eo11cernrd RbO\ll II, J)tlr(lnl- 1111'1,r lt.!t 1111wr c-!L." u11rt lilc rrlu– tlonslllp IJCl\\'fCll th bt11Jrlt11 1 ::-.. 1hc ."-lreCl., nn d rlw !-ip;,ce!-i hc– tween bt11ld l1u.rs . I r .·pe nrm·r ,.,, when nrchi!t.!Clll ra llr AOOcl thlll)'.!:, nrc hnppcnmg to B n i;bnnc uncl itnclno~!i whc·n rcnl c.-,t.n tc sperula– tors prey upon It, dcmollxhlng 11 Just lo crt•cL mons1.er !-. or 30 More• ys or concrete and g:Ju ..s with no concern fo r the visual Cll\'lron- 111cnt. During the la>t decnclc I cx• pencnced morr sndncM; than Joy, hu I nm still optim1stle. J ohn Oalton·s Burdon Prorc:,s1onal De• ,·clop111cnt Cen tre. Robin G1b• son·s Cultural Centre, ncro~s \'ic– lOJ'iJI 11rllll:e, Lund Hutton Ryan I\lorto11·s rn ,·tsn~cd n<n,, low rl c Oo1•crnmeht Precinct, some or The construction schedule is being m:aint:.incd . for the Quccnslond Cultural Centre of South Brisbone according to the centre trust chairman, Sir David Muir. ''\\'c conrhlt·nth· ,~111.•ct llH' whnh• 11rojccl to he comttlf'h'd h)' mld. foK-1." hr said ,-ci-tcrday. " \\ 1 hat is pnh111,s more i1111torla11t lo t.nxpn,•cr,,; is that. wt arc 11\'lng \l'ilhln c,ur IJ11cl1,:dnry appro1,ria– tlon." (The estlmatt'cl rinal cost or the project Is nhout $80 million), Sir Da,·id said the constn1t'tlon would gf'nt•rnfr rn1- ployment rur an an•fHJ:C or ubout 300 mt•n for rh·t! years, He did not lll'IIM·1• thf' cstablishnwnt or rh·c tru"L" to m"nai:e lh<' four i,;tai:1•s or ttu• t:t •nt.rc would c·nusc any conflh:t or lnlnt•st.s, t11111lkulit1n or o,·,•rh11>11ing. .ur 11ewr~t 1-d1uul., und 1·11IIP,-.l'.. ·,... 11 or Gr1.!1t h t:m,f'r,11 \· nnrl IHll\'hlln,:. hut f:ir too I(•\\ . IJOLh'"' 1•1 riur 11h11rh~ - all HI c .-.r11111~ rw w .'ilamhlrd:-i nnd b1·111u- , · h 11111111 t·:-thlf•!t 1111d 111rll, HI· llli!U,111 bark lO us. T hr rl' ure 1wo ,·rn· Important. rrc,1:; w11h111 lilr inner c1t,·. pe11d• 1·11; rederclop!t1r11t - th nrra ad jo111m~ t\111.:tt· Squure nnc1 , Jll'lll':;' l llll. Anr t hln~ ,,..~., lh·1u rxcc!lc11c•i• tor !he hc~rt of our c:t\'. P:-1irc1111ly 1hc 1trru nr,L L~, .\ 111.:1 • c-qun rr. :,hou:d not he oc– l'r ptnblf' It ls Ila• hhl 1111portant ~111u•f' Ir r, lo hr (k\'f'h,pNt t'fll'• .e:tlr in uor city ror the ne~t. 100 : ci1r.'i. A 1rnrnllrr of S(\\Ut1,)11i.. hn 1 ·e bce11 nlrcndy propo~ed. ::iome , en · u11 fnrtun111r lmil'rd. T hC' lrHcs propoHd prcscmed hy the Lorct ~l:1ynr or llrl."ibnne dcsen·e'i clo'5rr slllclr before nny acccpt11nce or a prrmunent olutlo11 10 t hr prnb– lcm I!; mnctr. 'l1hr selection or nn Arch tcct for the prnpo~al can noLbe lrfL to the prof1t •(111!~· orirn1 ed ctcr cl– opcr a'i hRs Ileen the po\tc,· of Ih COllllf'li Ill the past. The proJcc·, calls for ;111 archltocL with pro\'c11 qual1tic1 !or r:-.ccllern.:c. Th~ 1n– rlt1filo11 or nn 1111cr111u1onnl hotrl 111 the scheme ma~es IL a project of .,;;011rn magmtudr. Brisbane dr• .1..cr r ... to hn,e nt Ira.L one rertlly .;oo<I quality mtcrnatlonal hotel. HC('f'lll ,,. I H10k n wnlk !rnm h r L'll~ to 81,r111; Htll. I 1s like i,:oml!' to • rl1 trcrenL l'Olmtry. PIc– t 11 r.-:,q11e row, of dellith ful. but , t' l)' nrglccterl. old hnw-.('F, whole c:h1st<'rs of them l\lon~ narrow, \\'l nd111g-, up nnd down ,'itrert , !-ilt lm g thne llke 1r1~hte11cd blrct ~. not knowing Whftt l&J:Olllg to ha µpcn to them. T ile art-a. 1,:; ~pr111klcd \\Ith 11r?.', ug l)' und bad office buildtn~~ anti uni ts. all apprort d l>y our Com1• 1·11. , ·et. thin ls tl1c mosl lmpor· ta n t :urn with111 the reach of the Inner <.·1ty. \VhnL de\'r lopment \\'tll rn ke plal'e thcrr during the next I cw •:enrs will mnke or brcnk t,hc tn'11cr ciir or Brlr-ib1mc. .1\ rch ltect.urc has tts roots in tile ! )II.SL . but lt 1, bull! In the presen t for the future. I~ Is a more complex nrL tha11 JllllllY prople realise. !\1orr public chscussion 011 cur~ rent, ·Architectural Ht pprnin:.:s· 111 JJrisbnnr wlll contrlhllle 10- \\'llrcls !nrol\'lng the ro111111111111y Wil li Oll r COnlCIJi))Ol'IHY ~n:hl• trcturc nnd will mnl.:c the con,; mu111 ~- n het t r client- for iLs bu ilt CJl\'ll'0111l\r!1t. : - PETER l'RYSTUP.\ Edited by DES