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8/14/2019 Stepout Magazine

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Content

s:

Whatsin

it?

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The Place: Grosvenor

blah blah blahThe Place: Grosvenor

blah blah blah


blah blah blah


blah blah blah


blah blah blah


blah blah blah


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6/25

22 Stepout: Grosvenor Place


7/25

Felix BodinCreative Director

Artworker

Researcher

[email protected](+61) 404 75 62 16www.kongdesign.com.au

Daniel AppsConcept Designer

ArtworkerResearcher


Bonnie NguyenPublication Designer

ArtworkerResearcher


BrinleyWriter

Researcher


AlysiaWriter

Researcher



8/25

ThePla

ce:

Grosveno

r


What is in a name? High Street, Sydney, as

it was known in 1810 was revered as the

prominent shopping street in Sydney until its

grand bequeathing by Governor Macquarie,

the same year bestowing it with the name of

George Street. A name can connote

numerous meanings, and as such George

Street was named after King George III in

the early 19th Century.

In terms of notoriety, George Street is one of

Sydneys most distinguished city streets. Its

character cannot be surpassed; businessmen

and women amble the streets incessantly

from the hours nine to five, rousing betweenlunch breaks and high-priority meetings. In

1932 the development of the City Circle train

service opened up a whole new stream of

people to enter George Street via its

Wynyard and Town Hall Station entrances.

Geographically, George Street begins its

journey at the north end of Sydneys CBD

nearing the historical Rocks district,

extending to the south-most end of the city

towards the suburbs of Ultimo and

Broadway. If you were to take a glance at

Sydney Cove in the early years of

colonisation, it is noteworthy Captain Arthur

Phillip ordered a track to be erected that

streamed alongside present-day George

Street. This track defined the layout ofSydney Cove, being one of two original

thoroughfares, resting on the edge of convict

holdings and marine barracks. What is of

great importance to some historians is the

likelihood of George Street being the first

street in all of Australia.

Present day George Street extends its

entirety through numerous historical

buildings; St Andrews Cathedral, Town Hall

and the QVB or Queen Victoria Building as it

is most profoundly known. It is the busiest

Sydney street in terms of the number of

buses per hour. George Street has withheld

its reputation for adapting to commuter

transport needs since the replacement of

tramways in 1959 with the introduction ofdiesel-fuelled buses, now seen allocated bus

lanes and improved motorways in

...one of the most beautiful parts

of Sydney, close by the Harbour,

Circular Quay and the Rocks areas.


9/25

Stepout: Grosvenor Place

contemporary George Street.

The north-most end of George Street is

home to The Rocks precinct; a historically

preserved area of Sydney dating back to the

British settlement in Australia in 1788. In

1802 a map was drawn outlining the

placement of Sydney.

George Street was clearly visible on maps

as early as 1791, and its placement in The

Rocks has not altered since 1788, when it

was first laid out and became the first road

built by Europeans on the Australian

Continent.The Rocks subsequently

developed into the busy commercial hub ofSydney. By the latter 19th Century, New

South Wales exports exceeded its imports.

Exchanges with Europe, Asia, Africa and

both American continents encouraged

immense transformations in the appearance

of The Rocks area. In 1842 the City of

Sydney was announced, and its first

municipal council was formed. Throughout

these years of growth and transformation,

The Rocks became over-run with convicts,

undeservingly enhancing this port citys

precarious reputation.

On the south-east corner of Gloucester and

Essex streets, presently where Grosvenor

Place sits, was situated with one of the most

notorious slums in The Rocks, known asFrog Hollow. Photos from 1901 show 12

houses situated in the area, leading down

from Gloucester Street. The property was

owned by local property developer Peter

Hart who built the row of terrace houses on

the opposite corner now known as Harts

Pub.


10/25

Before

the

Placeto

be


What is in a name? High Street, Sydney,

as it was known in 1810 was revered as the

prominent shopping street in Sydney until

its grand bequeathing by Governor Macquarie,

the same year bestowing it with the name

of George Street. A name can connote

numerous meanings, and as such George

Street was named after King George III in the

early 19th Century.

In terms of notoriety, George Street is one

of Sydneys most distinguished city streets.

Its character cannot be surpassed; businessmen

and women amble the streets incessantly from

the hours nine to five, rousing between lunchbreaks and high-priority meetings. In 1932 the

development of the City Circle train service

opened up a whole new stream of people

to enter George Street via its Wynyard and

Town Hall Station entrances.

Geographically, George Street begins its

journey at the north end of Sydneys CBD

nearing the historical Rocks district, extending

to the south-most end of the city towards the

suburbs of Ultimo and Broadway. If you were

to take a glance at Sydney Cove in the early

years of colonisation, it is noteworthy Captain

Arthur Phillip ordered a track to be erected that

streamed alongside present day George Street.

This track defined the layout of Sydney Cove,

being one of two original thoroughfares, restingon the edge of convict holdings and marine

barracks. What is of great importance to some

historians is the likelihood of George Street

being the first street in all of Australia.

George Street today extends its entirety

through numerous historical buildings;

St Andrews Cathedral, Town Hall and the

Queen Victoria Building as it is most profoundly

known. It is the busiest Sydney street in terms

of the number of buses per hour. George Street

has withheld its reputation for adapting

to commuter transport needs since the

replacement of tramways in 1959 with the

introduction of diesel-fuelled buses, now seen

allocated bus lanes and improved motorways

in contemporary George Street.The north-most end of George Street is home

to The Rocks precinct; a historically preserved

...one of the most beautiful parts

of Sydney, close by the Harbour,

Circular Quay and the Rocks areas.


11/25


area of Sydney dating back to the British

settlement in Australia in 1788. In 1802 a map

was drawn outlining the placement of Sydney.

George Street was clearly visible on maps

as early as 1791, and its placement

in The Rocks has not altered since 1788, when

it was first laid out and became the first road

built by Europeans on the Australian Continent.

The Rocks subsequently developed into the

busy commercial hub of Sydney. By the latter

19th Century, New South Wales exports

exceeded its imports. Exchanges with Europe,

Asia, Africa and both American continents

encouraged immense transformations in theappearance of The Rocks area. In 1842 the City

of Sydney was announced, and its first

municipal council was formed. Throughout

these years of growth and transformation,

The Rocks became over-run with convicts,

undeservingly enhancing this port citys

precarious reputation.

On the south-east corner of Gloucester and

Essex streets, presently where Grosvenor

Place sits, was situated with one of the most

notorious slums in The Rocks, known as Frog

Hollow. Photos from 1901 show 12 houses

situated in the area, leading down from

Gloucester Street. The property was owned by

local property developer Peter Hart who built

the row of terrace houses on the oppositecorner now known as Harts Pub.


12/25

Harry Seidler was as influential and

passionate as he was a leader in his creative

facet. An Austrian born Australian, Seidlers

core accomplishment being that of Australias

leading architect to completely express the

principles of Bauhaus and front the

exponents of modernisms methodology.

Seidler was born into a Jewish family in Vienna,

Austria. He fled as a teenager to England when

Nazi Germany occupied Austria in 1938.In England, he studied building and construction

at Cambridge Technical College after which

Seidlers parents migrated to New South

Wales, Australia, where his legacy began.

Seidler designed in his lifetime more than 180

buildings attributing to his reputation as one

of the most controversial and significant

designers of the architecture comprising the

Australian skyline.

Dennis Sharp in his book Master Architects

states, For 50 years, Seidler has played a vital

role in international architecture. His work

is widely recognised as original and intensely

creative contributions to the architecture of the

second half of the Twentieth Century.

Praised and honoured with awards, Seidlers

designs however were not popular with some.

Criticized for being single minded with his

pursuit of modern design principles, his reply

was faced with even more controversy.

To defend his work and reputation, Seidler

claims Australians hide behind the trend to

preserve only old facades, hiding under the

name of heritage.

Australian architects ...Dont measure upin international terms. Theres nobody and

nothing here that sends the blood pressure up.

Its a backwater, a provincial dump in terms of

the built environment. Quoted from (The Age,

17 April 2002).

Seilder`s modernist design methodology

or vision, was an amalgam of three elements:

social use, technology and aesthetics. It echoed

the Bauhaus ideology of creating a total work

of art in which all arts, including architecture

would eventually be brought together.

One of his most well-known and major

commissions, the Blues Point Tower residential

block in Sydney Harbour, remains controversial

and arguably the most reviled of all modern

Sydney buildings. The tower has been widely

criticised in Sydney for its extremely prominent

placement on Blues Point.

Seidler yet again defended his design by noting

that the Australian artist Lloyd Rees had

praised the pattern of the windows, and some

writers had compared the facades window

pattern to an Albers artwork.

Seidler frequently collaborated with visual

artists in the creation of his buildings. True to

his belief that large buildings should be a place

TheAr

chitec

t:

HarrySeid

ler

6

Australians hide behind the trend

to preserve only old facades, hiding

under the name of heritage.



13/25


where art is displayed, Grosvenor Place

contains works by Frank Stella in the 3-storey

lobby interior.

Seidler raised the hackles of heritage advocates

in the mid 1980s with his plan to demolish an

Edwardian-era building known as the Johnsons

Overalls building, located at the corner of the

city block occupied by Seidlers multi-storey

Grosvenor Place office development, near

Circular Quay. He doggedly insisted that the

Johnsons Overall building (which then

consisted only of facades) be demolished,

noting that the existing building had been built

on the site of Sydneys first parade ground.Seidler also claimed that its presence meant

that the beautiful eastern facade of adjoining

Royal Naval House was obscured. He upheld

that the site, to be called Bicentennial Square,

should be landscaped as open space with trees

and some seating to give proper room for

pedestrians, who were otherwise squeezed

onto a narrow corner footpath, but Seidlers

plans were never realised, and the Johnsons

building was preserved.

Rose Seidler house. 1948 - 1950.

Wahroonga, Sydney. Mr & Mrs M Seidler.

The first house to be completed by Seidler

was for his parents.


14/25


ThePe

ople:

SayWhat

?


15/25



16/25


TheDialo

gue:

Insertnam

e


17/25



18/25

monogram. noun.

A motif of two or more letters, typically a person's

initials, usually interwoven or otherwise combined

in a decorative design, used as a logo or toidentify a personal possession.

TheMa

rk:

Monogra

m

The Infuence: Frank Stella

Frank Stella, an American painter and

printmaker was an innovator and oneof the most dominant and influential figures

in abstract painting. Imagery consisting

of sweeping arcs of brilliant color, he has the

colouristic exuberance of Henri Matisse and

the structural strictness of Wassily Kandinsky,

artworks illustrating this can be found in

Seidlers, Grosvenor Place.

Stella believed, Architecture cant fully

represent the chaos and turmoil that are part

of the human personality, but you need to put

some of that turmoil into the architecture,

or it isnt real. But, after all, the aim of art is to

create space - space that is not compromised

by decoration or illustration, space within which

the subjects of painting can live.

A one-man show, Stellas art reveals constant

growth and change, fascination with color andthe outline of shapes. Squares and rectangles

to hexagons, and even zigzags, his paintings

were shaped by the fact that he was among

the first generation of artists for whom the

rightful existence of abstraction was assumed.

Stellas aesthetic expression finds him

producing works that emphasize the picture

as an object, rather than the picture as

a representation of something. Representing

something in the physical world, or something

in the artists emotional world.

Still working today, Stella remains active byprotecting the rights of his fellow artists.



19/25


The origination of the Grosvenor Place

monogram has spiralled its way through thecreative thinking processes for several weeks

before landing to its final design destination.

Just one look at the completed design and

instantaneously the connection can be made

between the aerial blueprints of the Edward

JohnsonGrosvenor Place buildings, and the

initials G and P (clearly denoting Grosvenor

Place). Both the buildings architecture and the

monogram share geometrical similarities;

a given circular theme is omnipresent in both

designs. Furthering on from this, the initials G

and P provide a malleable base to work with

in the consideration of their circular, rounded

form and thus the ease to mould these initials

into a full circle.

One cannot disregard the immense role Frank

Stellas work played in the development of thismonogram. Studying Stellas designs can be

highly inspirational, and the commonalities

between the Grosvenor Place monogram and

Stellas earlier works is uncanny.

The architect, Harry Seidler proposed to design

spaces that moved the viewer; the viewer was

ultimately forced to interact with the space.

Similarly, the Grosvenor Place monogram,

with its continuation and fluidity of line work

strongly places emphasis on Seidlers

ideaology in moving the eye throughout the

bending walls of the monogram, and only

entering and leaving through a singular

entrance point. The design is psychological

as well as embodying a very physical presence.


20/25

Problem

s


TheIssue

s:

Dull and lifeless environment dueto lack of colour and stone surfaces


21/25


Big square slabs that are coldto sit on, prison benches

Unhealthy, not muchfoliage, unappealing

Blank stone wall lookslike a prison barricade

Lacks appeal as a mainfeature, an eyesorewhen not active

Unattractiveand unneccesary


22/25

OurPropo

sal


ThePlan:

The inspiration for the redesign of Grosvenor

Place was inspired by a main source, Frank

Stella, and elements of nature and escape.

By incorporating the elements of construction

he uses in creating his graphic artworks our

space will to be a construction of a space

with surreal elements.

The pure intention of the redesign is to invite

people back into the space by creating

something that is visually exciting but also

practical. Re-introducing elements of nature

to the space through the various green

elements such as the grass wall which

launch the space as an environmental design.

The key design piece that moves Grosvenor

Place into grander heights is the labyrinth.

Made in an abstract style, linking to the core

elements of the construction of Frank Stella

appropriately targets the audience and

approaches the stress and tension found.

Bringing grass "turf" into a concrete jungle

creates texture and contrast against the cold

colours of concrete. Instead of a traditional

lawn, the concept of a grass wall has been

generated. The wall supports the lawn saving

space and another feature for the space that

additionally acts as a green air-purifier.

The final touches, which unify the space,

are in the detail. The lights on the wall, the

bins and chairs are all Frank Stella inspired,

creating an atmosphere of ease and comfort

in its reasoning and physical representation.

The target audience are business people in

the financial sector who deal with numbers

and data on a daily basis. It is possible to go

slightly abstract with the redesign as a mean

to engage, and rejuvenate the audience. The

purpose is to provide the individuals that

work in the adjacent building a sense of

ownership to the refurbished area, a place

where they can unwind and escape from

tedious work, whether is a result of feeling

the grass wall or just strolling through the

labyrinth after a long day at the desk.


23/25


A labyrinth is an archetype with which we

can have a direct experience. We can walk it.

It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a

symbol that creates a sacred space and place

and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is

Within." Labyrinths and mazes have often

been confused. When most people hear of a

labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is

not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be

solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It

is a left-brain task that requires logical,

sequential, analytical activity to find the

correct path into the maze and out. A

labyrinth has only one path. The way in is the

way out. There are no blind alleys. The path

leads you on a circuitous path to the center

and out again.

Not a maze.


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