Campbell Park, Australia
Encyclopedia
Campbell Park, together with Russell Offices
, is the headquarters of the Australian Defence Force
. It is located in Canberra
, the national capital of Australia
, in the suburb of Campbell, Australian Capital Territory
.
The building looks eastward across the Majura
Valley and Canberra International Airport
and backs onto Mount Ainslie. The offices have seven floors of varying width, staggered back on tall concrete pillars to match and blend with the profile of the hill to the west. Four numbered sections, numbered from the south, bend slightly eastward at each 'node' where lifts take people between floors. Nodes B, C, D, and E also have spiral staircases. Access is by main security entrances at B and D Nodes, between CP1&2 and CP3&4 respectively. Underground document storage and work space is below part of the building.
The building has an access road on the hill side of the building and another on the down-hill side near the underground storage areas, near the extensive car parking areas. The precinct is accessed from Northcott
Drive, that passes the Australian Defence Force Academy
and the Royal Military College, Duntroon
to Russell. This crosses Fairbairn
Avenue that runs between the airport (formerly the Royal Australian Air Force
Fairbairn base) and the Australian War Memorial
at ANZAC Parade
.
A commercial cafeteria and banking facilities are at Node C, Ground level. Personnel must exit the building to use these.
Campbell Park Offices was to have at least one more section built at the northern end, where short lengths of reinforcing steel still points in the direction of the intended structure at various levels. This is also confirmed by a spiral staircase at Node E (the northern end of the existing structure) but none at Node A at the other end. Reportedly, the discovery of instabilities in the earth caused the plans to be shelved.
The major architectural feature of the building is the broken concrete facades with a vertical motif. This was achieved by creating vertical fluting to a depth of about 10cm, with a width of about 6cm, at a horizontal pitch of about 10cm. The resulting concrete 'lands' were broken off with hammers, by hand, to create the jagged and smashed appearance.
Russell Offices
The Russell Offices is a complex of office buildings located in the Canberra suburb of Russell.Together with Campbell Park, these two complexes are home to the Australian Department of Defence and contain the administrative headquarters of the Australian Defence Force.The Office of National...
, is the headquarters of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
. It is located in 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...
, the national capital of Australia
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...
, in the suburb of Campbell, Australian Capital Territory
Campbell, Australian Capital Territory
Campbell is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Covering an area to the South East of the central business district, Campbell sits at the base of Mount Ainslie. On Census night 2006, Campbell had a population of 4,797 people...
.
The building looks eastward across the Majura
Mount Majura
Mount Majura, is a small mountain located in Canberra, Australia. Mount Majura lies close to the more prominent Mount Ainslie and at 888 metres is the highest point in Canberra...
Valley and Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport , now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, and the city of Queanbeyan, NSW. Located at the eastern edge of North Canberra, it is the 8th busiest airport in Australia. The airport is the main hub for Brindabella Airlines...
and backs onto Mount Ainslie. The offices have seven floors of varying width, staggered back on tall concrete pillars to match and blend with the profile of the hill to the west. Four numbered sections, numbered from the south, bend slightly eastward at each 'node' where lifts take people between floors. Nodes B, C, D, and E also have spiral staircases. Access is by main security entrances at B and D Nodes, between CP1&2 and CP3&4 respectively. Underground document storage and work space is below part of the building.
The building has an access road on the hill side of the building and another on the down-hill side near the underground storage areas, near the extensive car parking areas. The precinct is accessed from Northcott
John Northcott
Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott KCMG, KCVO, CB was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during World War II, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupation of Japan...
Drive, that passes the Australian Defence Force Academy
Australian Defence Force Academy
The Australian Defence Force Academy is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and tertiary academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force .Tertiary education is provided by the...
and the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
to Russell. This crosses Fairbairn
James Fairbairn
James Valentine Fairbairn was a pastoralist, aviator, Australian politician and cabinet minister who was killed in the Canberra air disaster....
Avenue that runs between the airport (formerly the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
Fairbairn base) and the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
at ANZAC Parade
ANZAC Parade, Canberra
This article is about the road in Canberra. For other uses, see Anzac Parade .ANZAC Parade, a significant road and thoroughfare in the Australian capital Canberra, is used for ceremonial occasions and is the site of many major military memorials.Named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand...
.
A commercial cafeteria and banking facilities are at Node C, Ground level. Personnel must exit the building to use these.
Campbell Park Offices was to have at least one more section built at the northern end, where short lengths of reinforcing steel still points in the direction of the intended structure at various levels. This is also confirmed by a spiral staircase at Node E (the northern end of the existing structure) but none at Node A at the other end. Reportedly, the discovery of instabilities in the earth caused the plans to be shelved.
The major architectural feature of the building is the broken concrete facades with a vertical motif. This was achieved by creating vertical fluting to a depth of about 10cm, with a width of about 6cm, at a horizontal pitch of about 10cm. The resulting concrete 'lands' were broken off with hammers, by hand, to create the jagged and smashed appearance.
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