2321. Design for Sleek Tower & Verandah Tower, Brisbane, Australia

 

Dear Colin,

"The delight I get out of doing buildings

is to say: ... it can be built." (Peter Cook)

Best regards,

R

2189. Sydney, N.S.W. Aerial view of Sydney Opera House

 

Dear Lis,

"There is a rumor that I can't draw and never could.

This is probably because I work so much with models.

Models are one of the most beautiful design tools,

but I still do the finest drawings you can imagine."

(Jørn Utzon)

Sincerely,

R

2183. 25 Martin Place. Sydney

 

Querido Berto,

“Rascacielos y siglo XX son sinónimos; el edificio 

de gran altura es el sello de nuestra época. Como

maravilla estructural que rompe los límites 

tradicionales de la persistente ambición humana de

construir hasta los cielos, el rascacielos constituye

el fenómeno arquitectónico más sorprendente de

nuestro siglo.” (Ada Louise Huxtable)

Saludos,

R

2178. Academy of Sciences. Canberra

 

Dear Kevin and Andrew,

The Shine Dome or Australian Academy of Science

was designed by Roy Grounds and built in 1959.

I really enjoyed your tour inside this great building

you posted in your YouTube channel Archimarathon.

I appreciate your humorous, curious, and professional

videos.

Best,

R

1849. Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

Dear Erin,

Australian architect and olympic alpine skier Barry 

Patten designed Myer Music Bowl, a structure included 

on the Victorian Heritage Register. He also designed 

the BHO house and the Victoria State Government 

Offices. 

Best regards,
R

1822. Sydney Opera House N.S.W.

Dear Sybille

"The structure and strict geometry expresses the logic
of the building" (Jørn Utzon)

1568. Sydney Opera House, Early model.

Dear Betty,

This is a large and impressive model of the Sydney 

Opera House in the studio of its architect Jørn Utzon, 

in Denmark, 1960.

Regards,
R

1556. Model of Sydney Opera House, 1960

Querido Miguel Angel,

He pensado mucho en ti y en tu maravilloso libro de 

Le Corbusier y sus maquetas cuando vi esta foto de una impresionante maqueta de la Opera de Sydney. La foto fue tomada en 1960 en el estudio de Utzon en Dinamarca.

Un abrazo,
R

1435. Academy of Science Building, Canberra, Australia

Querida Luisa,

"Tiende la belleza a la esfericidad"
(María Zambrano- Claros del bosque)

Besos,
R

1203. Riparian Plaza, Brisbane, Australia

Dear Kylie

"The shape of the tower has been carefully formed 

to maximise the outlook for occupants up and down 

the river. The base sector houses parking, the mid segment is column-free offices, and the reshaped top consists of the greatest apartments we have ever
designed" (Harry Seidler)

Best,
R

1009. Stanhill 34 Queen's road, Melbourne

Dear Roy,

German architect Frederick Romberg was born in 

China and trained as an architect in Switzerland. He established his professional practice in Australia where 

he lived for more than 50 years until his death in 1992.
His masterpiece Stanhill Flats located in South

Melbourne, Victoria, was designed in 1943 and 

postponed due to the World War II until it was finsihed 

in 1950. Although this building is highly functionalist quickly became an architectural local landmark because of its wonderful expressionist design that resembles a colossal ship with its cantilevered balconies.

Cheers,
R

823. The Centenary Swimming Pool and Restaurant, Brisbane

Dear Harry,

The Centenary Pool complex in Brisbane designed by
Council architect James Birrel and built in 1959, has a
wonderful joyous atmosphere. The architect was
influenced by the artworks of Hans Arp when designing
the biomorphic restaurant that echoes some works of
Oscar Niemeyer as well. There is also a striking similarity
between this charming little building and the Club Ariston
in Mar del Plata (Argentina) designed by Marcel Breuer,
Eduardo Catalano, and Franciso Coire in 1948.

Best regards,
R

768. Australia's National Gallery and High Court

Dear Kylie,

Australia's National Gallery and High Court in Canberra
are two late 20th-Century Brutalist buildings of great
historical, social, and aesthetic relevance. The High Court
was designed to be seen from across the lake, while the
National Gallery is characterized by the informal plantings
of the Sculpture Garden and the very fine landscaping
around it.

Regards,
R

592. 17 Wylde St. Potts Point N.S.W

Dear Harry,

This modernist curved structure is one of Sydney's 

best apartment buildings. It was designed by 

crimean-australian emigre architect Aaron Bolot 

in 1951. It is one of the first buildings to employ a segmental radial floor plan layout. A little later 

Finish architect Alvar Aalto designed and built 

in 1959-62 a similar but much higher, structure in Bremen, Germany.

Happy new year.
R

374. Sydney and Circular Quay, N.S.W.

Dear Seth,

"...So this illustrated the most important thing of all, which is that you are able to imagine a life lived by people before you begin to design" (Jørn Utzon)

This is a lovely postcard showing Utzon's Sydney 

Opera House still under construction.

All the very best.
R

300. Australia Square and Tower, Sydney

Dear Mr. C,

Engineer Pier Luigi Nervi collaborated with
well-known austrian-australian architect
Harry Seidler on the Australia Square project
in Sydney in 1967. The Tower Building is
approximately 170 metres tall and it was
the first Australia's authentic skyscraper.

-----------------------------------------------

This is the picture that Anya sent me. She took
it from her apartment's balcony. She told me that
she was wearing her bright red dress then.

-----------------------------------------------

What a view! Poor Mr. C living almost at street level!
He can't enjoy the sight. But I suspect that if he were
here, he would be looking "other things" most likely...

Thanks
R

202. Greetings from Sydney

Dear Jan,

This first postcard is called Opera Dishouse. This
is what Marco Berton says about his dream:
"This concept was envisaged at the age of 4.
Seeing a photo of the Opera House, I believed it
to be a rack of drying dishes. I was subsequently
disappointed upon arriving in Sydney several
years ago, finding something other than what
I'd expected. (on the second postcard)
I dedicate this to that dream. The Toaster though
is a recent interpretation"

Cheers.
R

66. Sydney- Aerial View of the Opera House

Dear Auntie Mickey,

As you can see in the picture, The
Sydney Opera House is a whole formed
out of two differentiated parts: the podium
and the shells. Jorn Utzon, who was the
architect, studied aerial photographs
of Greeks sites whilst preparing this project.
Two great "temples" and the small
restaurant pavilion, seen in the foreground,
like Nike Apteros in Athens stands to take
in the procession of visitors. As far as the
podium goes, the creation of an horizontal
plane is essential in any system intended to
organize human activities and has wider
significance than that of purely functional.



Enjoy your trip to Australia!
Love
R