21 October 2007

Cameron Offices not fit for heritage list.

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A heritage expert has stated that the controversial Cameron Offices in Belconnen should not be given heritage listing.

For those of you not following the story, the Cameron Offices are an ugly concrete monstrosity from the 70s which are in the process of being knocked down. Some nostalgic people think they should be heritage listed despite already being rejected.

At last some common sense. Just because a building is over 30 years old does not make it a national treasure (especially when it’s totally fugly). To this expert’s credit, he does recognise that there is more to heritage than “shape and form and colour”, such as the meaning and significance of a place. However he also recognised that the Cameron Offices have “very little meaning or negative meaning.”

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As much as the are ugly and a bit annoying to work in, I don’t even what to think about what Belconnen is going to look like when they are all replaced with square reflective boxes much like Woden and the City. At least the concrete and interesting textures helped the buildings to “blend” in with the surrounding rather than turning the area in to a shiny wind tunnel.

outstanding example of modern brutalist construction.

if the rest of the buildings planned for the town centre had been constructed as designed the results woudl have been fully realised.

interestingly the construction techniques used on the cameron offices were revolutionary for their time.

its a shame its being knocked down. a true landmark set of buildings.

canberra is las vegan in its cavalier attitude to significant buildings and preserving them.

cameron offices, i was told when i started work there, had won archtectural awards… i asked..: what the hell did it beat??

(never did get an answer – musta been a right crap hole)

Callam Offices is the perfect Quake 3 level.

It also will be well placed in the next 50 years, as by then we will be flying in Delorians to work. The main struts are perfect landing pads….think about it….you know it.

next should be the callum offices at woden, i think that has to be the fugliest building in canberra. no matter how much of a “archictectual masterpiece” they’re supposed to be.

I worked there for a year. I cannot see how it could ever be considered as good design, and am worried about the judgment of those who do. (They might be right, and my uninformed opinion wrong, but I’ll back myself on this one). I would certainly not want to live in a house or work in an office designed by someone who thought Cameron Offices was wonderful.

I will back JD114 – if the architects like it so much, let them buy it, and see what it’s like to work in. Bet they didn’t make an offer.

In favour, it was not a conventional concrete box. Against, it was appalling to work in – rabbit warrens, bizarre shaped spaces, confusing lifts. I hope that it is replaced by something that works on the inside, as well as in the architect’s imagination.

fugliest building ever

hingo_VRCalaisV69:27 pm 21 Oct 07

It sure is ugly. Good riddance.

Good riddance I say. Cameron Offices was by far the worst building I have ever worked in. The low ceiling open office design was noisy and claustrophobic with little natural light. The walkways outside were cold and windswept during winter.

I say if the Royal Chapter of Architects (ACT) or whoever it is arguing for the preservation and heritage listing of the Cameron Offices… sure, let’s keep them full of workers, but if you love the buildings so much, organise with all your peers and the Heritage Commission to populate the building by working there. But DO NOT stand on your ignorant soap box and say someone should have to work there. The buildings have always been crap, are crap and always will be crap until they are torn down and something that is more worker friendly put in their place.

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