Cameron Offices, Belconnen
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(Andrews 1972)
The Cameron Offices, are located in the Australian 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 pavillion, 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 pavillions were demolished in late 2005.
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[edit] External links
- article about Cameron Offices redevelopment
- article from architecture.com.au
- comments from ArchE+/BBZine - architecture webpage
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