Cameron Offices, Belconnen
Encyclopedia
The Cameron Offices, are located in the Australia
n capital Canberra
, in the satellite district
of Belconnen
. The buildings were used to house Australian Commonwealth Government departments, most recently the government superannuation agency, ComSuper. The buildings were designed by John Andrews in the Brutalist style of architecture
and constructed between 1970-77.
The buildings were constructed primarily of concrete and consisted of a series of pavilions linked by walkways. In the void between each pavilion, gardens were themed according to different types of vegetation and ecosystems from various parts of Australia. The design qualities of the Cameron Offices were recognised as significant at the time of their construction. In 2005, a section of the buildings were added to the Commonwealth Heritage Register. The Royal Australian Institute of Architects also include the Cameron Offices on their register of significant Australian buildings.
Although located close to a bus interchange, the Cameron Offices have been criticised for being isolated by carparks and being too distant from the central shopping centre. The nature of the voids within the pavilions resulted in windtunnel effects, which combined with the buildings' concrete design to make them unpleasant to walk around, particularly in the winter. Due to these design elements, the Cameron Offices were unpopular with many of the public servants who worked in the buildings.
The offices have been progressively decommissioned and are currently being redeveloped. Two of the pavilions were demolished in late 2006.
All but units 3 and 4 are now being demolished.
By early 2008, all but two of the buildings had either been completely demolished (those to the north), or demolition was well under way (those to the south). The two buildings either side of Cameron Avenue are being retained, and have had some cosmetic repair work done at the street-level entrances.
On the 18th of January, 2008, a car parked outside of the safety fence was crushed when part of a building fell. The building was already partly demolished.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/18/2141312.htm
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n capital Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, in the satellite district
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
of Belconnen
Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
. The buildings were used to house Australian Commonwealth Government departments, most recently the government superannuation agency, ComSuper. The buildings were designed by John Andrews in the Brutalist style of architecture
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
and constructed between 1970-77.
The buildings were constructed primarily of concrete and consisted of a series of pavilions linked by walkways. In the void between each pavilion, gardens were themed according to different types of vegetation and ecosystems from various parts of Australia. The design qualities of the Cameron Offices were recognised as significant at the time of their construction. In 2005, a section of the buildings were added to the Commonwealth Heritage Register. The Royal Australian Institute of Architects also include the Cameron Offices on their register of significant Australian buildings.
Although located close to a bus interchange, the Cameron Offices have been criticised for being isolated by carparks and being too distant from the central shopping centre. The nature of the voids within the pavilions resulted in windtunnel effects, which combined with the buildings' concrete design to make them unpleasant to walk around, particularly in the winter. Due to these design elements, the Cameron Offices were unpopular with many of the public servants who worked in the buildings.
The offices have been progressively decommissioned and are currently being redeveloped. Two of the pavilions were demolished in late 2006.
All but units 3 and 4 are now being demolished.
By early 2008, all but two of the buildings had either been completely demolished (those to the north), or demolition was well under way (those to the south). The two buildings either side of Cameron Avenue are being retained, and have had some cosmetic repair work done at the street-level entrances.
On the 18th of January, 2008, a car parked outside of the safety fence was crushed when part of a building fell. The building was already partly demolished.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/18/2141312.htm