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

.. WATER was used !or thousands or years as an .archltect11ral desl'11 element. Such use was often based on need, religious ritual or almply on providing pleasure. Ih China and Japan, wat.er la treasured for the dell1ht It oflen the senses and for the experience It provides, relatlnr man to na- lure. r F'or H111du. ~ Buddhlsta. wa– ter I• a requirement to1· rll,ual battitng and If, olten archi– tecturally lramed within an a1>· proprlate bull\llnr complex. 111: t.he Europe of yesterday, wells and ,public fountains, being sources of water aupply, played •n Important aoclal role by 1en– ernt1nr nel11hborh!)Od aather- lngs. ' Only within ·the' last lwo dec• ades, our city .fathers and the business community realised that unless Brlabane'a ln~r city area · Kot son\e water and,trees, people would look , ,alm011t unnatural within lta conrlomerate ol con– crete, steel,,11lua and bitumen. A number of fountains and other architecturally lnterrated ,wtlLer elements have been built since. :011t · of 10111.e 12 , lmllPrtal}t . fountains In J:lrlsbane,' (ga,t •.~ ' " within ·\h'~ University o\~~.,;.: land. , l ••• All are well related to the'111r- roundlng bulldlngfi. , · • ' The Schonell Memorial Foun– tn/n de•lgned by In11e Kln11, the fountain donated to the Univer– sity by the International Feder– ation or University Worn n, and the Lake Fountain deall{lled by KeMn Crump, are of blah design •t4ndards. • Brisbane's Queen Elizabeth 1I . Sliver Jubilee River F'ountaln de- • slt!ned by Robin Gibson Is the 111· th1iate In fountain technology In Australia. Bel n g • lloaUng rountR ln which ls subjected to both the rl~ Rnd !all and ebb and flow of 1hj, river, this fountain has been responsible for placing Rn em– ph'nsls back of, the river • • • ma– jor: nnturRI element or our ell)'. The use or water will Riso be • major clement or lhe concep1.1rnl design or the new Queenslanrt Cu)tural Centre.· ~ water mall penetrating loMl– tudlnally the spaces of the Art Gallery, with Its fountains, will hrln~ movement and sound to lhe three dimenslons of architecture. The sm:111 square with the fountnln. beside the SGlO Bulld– lnt:. recei\'ed " Ct\•ic Deslgn Award from The Roynl Austra– lian Institute of Archltecw. The watcrf•II adjoining Romr< St reel Porum nncl lhe new foun ~ t R\n AL the Bri. bone Plaza Are \'l,t1all)' satlsylng ond 1'nllkt I •lrnlllcant contribution 10 the enviroment. , 'rhe fountain In lront of the OPO Building tit Queen Street, Is badly located and not in charac– ter with the surrounding•. E.E. McCormick Pla,:e, the &l'CI\ enclosed by Roma, Saul and Skew Streets, certainly could be better used. The fountain placed there. Is the only one I know erected ex– cluslveli•!or motorists. The fountains In Kini ,OJ,orge Square and In the Botanic OAr• dens are well h,ca~d. They are 1,opular, des11lle their pour de– sl11n. - Pt:TElt l'lt\'STUPA. a con fercnc • nL Queen. land University Jn 1~65. the lnler– nntlonal Federation of Unlver lty Women ctonnlrcl the IFJ}WA Fountain. IL has a beaten copper basin a nd is ~ituntcd In a courtyard between Lhr Chemistry Building and Lhe Duh1g Library.