James Peter Birrell | |
---|---|
Born | 24 October 1928 [1] Melbourne, Australia |
Died | 20 September 2019 (aged 90) |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Architect |
Awards | 2005 RAIA Gold Medal [2] |
Buildings | Union College, University of Queensland James Purnell Building – University of Queensland, JD Story Administration Building – University of Queensland, Agriculture and Entomology Building (Hartley Teakle Building) – University of Queensland |
Projects | Brisbane Centenary Pool Centre |
James Birrell (1928-2019) was an architect responsible for the design of significant buildings in Queensland, Australia. James Birrell practiced from 1951 to 1986.
James Peter Birrell was born in Melbourne on the 24 October 1928, the eldest child of Harry and Elizabeth Birrell. Growing up in Essendon North, Birrell attended North Essendon Primary School from 1934 to 1940 and Essendon State High School from 1940 to 1944.[ citation needed ]
In 1945, at the age of 17, James Birrell was accepted into the Melbourne Technical College as an architecture student. To help finance his studies, Birrell worked part-time as a builder's labourer. In 1947, Birrell began work as a draughtsman for the Victorian State Works Department and continued his studies Part-time. The same year he also became involved in the Contemporary Arts Society, through the Society he gained many new friends, notably Peter Burns.[ citation needed ]
In 1950 Birrell was accepted into Fourth Year Architecture at the University of Melbourne. In 1951 he graduated and designed his first houses, in Frankston and Warrandyte, Birrell also worked briefly as the resident Architect at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories.[ citation needed ]
In 1952 Birrell co-founded the magazine Architecture and Arts with his contemporaries, Peter Burns, Helen O'Donnell and Norman Lehey. In 1954 Birrell contributed to the Contemporary Arts Society's exhibition 'Space Modulators' along with artists including Sidney Nolan, Ian Fairweather, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd and John Perceval.
Working for the Commonwealth Works Department, Birrell was transferred to Canberra, before going on to Darwin and finally Brisbane. In Brisbane James Birrell went on to become Brisbane City Council Architect and University of Queensland Staff Architect. It was during this period that Birrell designed his most significant buildings.[ citation needed ]
Throughout his life Birrell admired the works of Walter Burley Griffin and in 1964 he wrote a biography on Griffin.[ citation needed ]
In March 1985 James Birrell was elected as a councillor for the Shire of Maroochy in Queensland.
Birrell's archive is held at the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland and the State Library of Queensland. [3] [4]
Birrell died 20 September 2019. [5]
Brisbane City Council Architect
In 1956 as Brisbane City Council Architect Birrell designed the Chermside and Annerley Libraries, Centenary Pool Complex at Spring Hill as well as numerous public amenities. In 1957 his design proposal for the Centenary Pool complex was successful with construction finishing in 1959. Architecture and Arts magazine named the building as one of the top ten buildings within Australia.
Birrell also designed the former Toowong Municipal Library Building, which was completed in 1961. Located on Coronation Drive, it was directly opposite to Birrell's Toowong Pool (which has since been demolished). The library is heritage listed although is now used for commercial purposes (medical imaging-MRI). [6]
University of Queensland Staff Architect
From 1961 to 1966 James Birrell practiced as The University of Queensland Staff Architect. In this position he designed and documented Union College, which was constructed in five stages from 1964 and 1972. Union College was highly commended after its construction. It was visually pleasing while also being innovative in terms of the structure and its response to pre-existing site conditions. Union College received a High Commendation award from Arts and Architecture journal as one of the best ten new buildings in Australia at the time.
During his tenure as staff architect James Birrell was also responsible for the JD Story Administration Building (1965) the Agriculture and Entomology Building, now known as the Hartley Teakle Building (1966). Birrell was also responsible for the design of the campus plan at James Cook University in Townsville, and several of its early buildings 1964–1970. In 1965 Birrell became President of the Australian Planning Institute.
Private Practice
In 1966 he moved into private practice. Much of Birrell's work in this period came from overseas. He worked for the University of Papua New Guinea, where he designed the Halls of Residence, Arts/Law and Arts II Buildings and Indonesia as a government planning consultant.
In 2005 Birrell was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal. Royal Australian Institute of Architects national president Warren Kerr said the Melbourne-born Brisbane-based architect had made a "spirited and distinguished contribution to the discipline of architecture". [11]
Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Toowong had a population of 12,556 people. It is predominantly a middle-class area (67.8%), with a median weekly household income of $1,930.
Robin Gibson was an Australian architect, from Brisbane, Queensland.
Annerley is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Annerley had a population of 11,336 people.
Union College is a heritage-listed residential college at University of Queensland, 38 Upland Road, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Birrell and built from 1964 to 1974. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 December 2004.
Ipswich Road is major road in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The road has been an important transport route since the 19th century when it connected the towns of Brisbane and Ipswich. In the 1990s, the section from Moorooka in Brisbane to Riverview in Ipswich was replaced by the Ipswich Motorway.
Daryl Sanders Jackson AO is an Australian architect and the owner of an international architecture firm, Jackson Architecture. Jackson also became an associate professor at University of Melbourne and Deakin University.
Michael John Strachan Bryce, was an Australian architect and graphic and industrial designer. He was the husband of the 25th governor-general of Australia, Dame Quentin Bryce.
Maurice Hurst (1929-2003) OAM, was one of Queensland's leading architects of the Noosa style of architecture. Maurice Hurst is considered a forerunner in Australian architecture. Having trained and worked in England, he then returned to practice his skills in both architectural design and drafting. Not only a style innovator and a conservation pioneer, Hurst acted as a staple of Queensland's domestic architecture for more than half a century. Mostly working in the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane regions, Hurst defined and shaped the area stylistically and spiritually for years.
The St Lucia Uniting Church is a heritage-listed Uniting church at 7 Hawken Drive, St Lucia, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1952, it was designed by Ronald Martin Wilson. The church, formerly known as St Lucia Presbyterian Church, was originally commissioned for the St Lucia congregation of Presbyterians, subsequently becoming the property of the Uniting Church. This church was the first substantial commission awarded to R. Martin Wilson after World War II. The church is listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.
Conrad Gargett is an Australian architecture and design practice. It was founded in Brisbane in 1890 and is one of Queensland's oldest architectural firms.
Karl Langer (1903–1969) was an Austrian-born architect in Queensland, Australia. A number of his works are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The Toowong Municipal Library Building is heritage-listed former public library at 579–583 Coronation Drive, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Birrell and built in 1961 by Stuart Brothers. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 August 1998. In 2001, the library moved to Toowong Village Shopping Centre and the original building has been used as business premises.
John Francis (Jack) Hennessy (1887–1955) was an Australian architect, with the same name as his architect father, John Francis Hennessy, with whom he was in partnership as Hennessy & Hennessy from 1912 to 1924. As principal of the firm after his father retired from 1924 to 1955, he was responsible for many major Art Deco office buildings in capital cities in Australia and New Zealand in the 1930s, as well as many projects for the Catholic Church in Queensland, and the Great Court of the University of Queensland.
George Rae was an Australian architect. He designed some of Brisbane's best interwar apartment buildings. A number of his works are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Wickham Terrace Car Park is a heritage-listed multi-storey car park at 136 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Birrell and built from 1959 to 1960. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register as Brisbane City Council Carpark on 13 January 1995.
Centenary Pool Complex is a heritage-listed swimming pool at 400 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect James Birrell and built in 1959. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 November 1996.
Hennessy & Hennessy was an architectural firm established in 1912 in Sydney, Australia that was responsible for a series of large scale office buildings in the 1930s in all capital cities in Australia, as well as New Zealand and South Africa, designed by John (Jack) Hennessy (1887–1955), described as Australia's first international architect.
M3architecture is an Australian architecture firm based in Brisbane. The practice was founded in 1997 and is run by Directors Michael Banney, Ben Vielle, Michael Christensen and Michael Lavery.
Vitaly de Gzell (1908-1977) was a Russian-Australian architect, who practised in Queensland in the modernist tradition.
Thomas Brenan Femister Gargett (1898–1975) was an architect in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Many of his buildings have been heritage-listed. He is one of the original founders of Conrad Gargett, a long-running architectural practice in Brisbane.
Media related to James Birrell at Wikimedia Commons