November 15, 2014
Toby Johnstone
The Sirius building at The Rocks turned 35 this month, but its architect fears its days are numbered.
The concrete brutalist building, which rubs shoulders with the Harbour Bridge, has been lobbed in with the government sell-off of public housing in the Millers Point precinct, sparking fears the new owner will look to capitalise on its prime position by knocking it down.
The state government has refused to release any detail about the plans for the block, other than reiterating it is "committed" to the sale.
Architect Tao Gofers said he would be "very pissed off" if the government allowed the next owner to flatten the building.
It was a sentiment echoed by most of the speakers on an expert panel convened at Parliament House in Sydney on Thursday.
The forum was organised by state MPs Jan Barham, from the Greens, and Labor's Sophie Cotsis to discuss the future of the building and its residents
Known by many for its "One Way Jesus" sign, which has greeted Harbour Bridge motorists for the past decade, the block of 79 apartments has attracted a fair share of criticism over the years.
When it was unveiled in 1980 the National Trust dubbed it "the lump on The Rocks", while the minister for planning at the time described it as "damned awful".
At the time Mr Gofers told the Sydney Morning Herald he was "not worried about the criticism. People will accept it in three to four years".
Mr Gofers only regret is the colour: the original plan was for it be white like the Opera House.
"When we were finally starting the concrete works they came to me and said 'we have to save $200,000; let's take the white cement out', and I agreed," he said.
"I have kicked myself for 35 years."
Curator and architecture writer Charles Pickett said "Sirius is a great success of public housing".
"It is a very special building and it deserves to continue to be part of The Rocks," he said.
The building was purpose-built for ageing public housing tenants who had been displaced during the redevelopment of The Rocks in the 1970s. Its approval marked a compromise between the state government and Green Bans activists who were fighting to keep working-class people in the area.
The head of developer lobby group Urban Taskforce, Chris Johnson, said Sirius was "a building of its time" and the government should allow the new owner to give it a "radical makeover".
"The government needs to make sure it is not encumbered by heritage restrictions that would prevent it from becoming a better building," he said.
"It would dramatically limit the value of the building if it had to stay as it is."
Asked whether the State government would prevent the new owner from knocking the building down, the Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, said: "Arrangements for the sale of the building are yet to be determined."
She also said that "the City of Sydney's planning and building controls will apply".
On Thursday, City of Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore vowed to support the campaign to prevent the eviction of Sirius tenants.
"The city very strongly supports the campaign to prevent this loss," she said.
"The whole thing is really depressing."
One of the residents, Myra Demetriou, is deeply troubled by the government's eviction plans.
"I've been with my ophthalmologist and my GP for 25 years and they are in the city, so I am not about to go anywhere else," she said.
The 88-year-old is legally blind and can't climb steps.
"[Sirius] is just wonderful for me, I've got a ramp to go in and two lifts and what more could you want?" she said.
Ms Demetriou said it would be "an absolute disgrace" if the government allowed the building to be torn down once the residents had been evicted.
Ms Upton said "the funds realised by selling the Sirius building will assist many people needing public housing".
However, given the land is currently owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, it has not been made clear how funds from the sale would flow to the Department of Family and Community Services.
Government Property NSW is handling the sale, which will occur within the next two years.
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/sirius-uncertainty-at-the-rocks-20141114-11lt8j.html
Toby Johnstone
The Sirius building at The Rocks turned 35 this month, but its architect fears its days are numbered.
The concrete brutalist building, which rubs shoulders with the Harbour Bridge, has been lobbed in with the government sell-off of public housing in the Millers Point precinct, sparking fears the new owner will look to capitalise on its prime position by knocking it down.
The state government has refused to release any detail about the plans for the block, other than reiterating it is "committed" to the sale.
 |
| Future unknown: The Sirius building in The Rocks is part of the state government's sell-off of public housing. Photo: Steve Lunam |
Architect Tao Gofers said he would be "very pissed off" if the government allowed the next owner to flatten the building.
It was a sentiment echoed by most of the speakers on an expert panel convened at Parliament House in Sydney on Thursday.
The forum was organised by state MPs Jan Barham, from the Greens, and Labor's Sophie Cotsis to discuss the future of the building and its residents
 |
| The staggered brown building is an example of Brutalist architecture. Photo: Rick Stevens |
When it was unveiled in 1980 the National Trust dubbed it "the lump on The Rocks", while the minister for planning at the time described it as "damned awful".
At the time Mr Gofers told the Sydney Morning Herald he was "not worried about the criticism. People will accept it in three to four years".
Mr Gofers only regret is the colour: the original plan was for it be white like the Opera House.
"When we were finally starting the concrete works they came to me and said 'we have to save $200,000; let's take the white cement out', and I agreed," he said.
"I have kicked myself for 35 years."
Curator and architecture writer Charles Pickett said "Sirius is a great success of public housing".
"It is a very special building and it deserves to continue to be part of The Rocks," he said.
The building was purpose-built for ageing public housing tenants who had been displaced during the redevelopment of The Rocks in the 1970s. Its approval marked a compromise between the state government and Green Bans activists who were fighting to keep working-class people in the area.
The head of developer lobby group Urban Taskforce, Chris Johnson, said Sirius was "a building of its time" and the government should allow the new owner to give it a "radical makeover".
"The government needs to make sure it is not encumbered by heritage restrictions that would prevent it from becoming a better building," he said.
"It would dramatically limit the value of the building if it had to stay as it is."
Asked whether the State government would prevent the new owner from knocking the building down, the Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, said: "Arrangements for the sale of the building are yet to be determined."
She also said that "the City of Sydney's planning and building controls will apply".
On Thursday, City of Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore vowed to support the campaign to prevent the eviction of Sirius tenants.
"The city very strongly supports the campaign to prevent this loss," she said.
"The whole thing is really depressing."
One of the residents, Myra Demetriou, is deeply troubled by the government's eviction plans.
"I've been with my ophthalmologist and my GP for 25 years and they are in the city, so I am not about to go anywhere else," she said.
The 88-year-old is legally blind and can't climb steps.
"[Sirius] is just wonderful for me, I've got a ramp to go in and two lifts and what more could you want?" she said.
Ms Demetriou said it would be "an absolute disgrace" if the government allowed the building to be torn down once the residents had been evicted.
Ms Upton said "the funds realised by selling the Sirius building will assist many people needing public housing".
However, given the land is currently owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, it has not been made clear how funds from the sale would flow to the Department of Family and Community Services.
Government Property NSW is handling the sale, which will occur within the next two years.
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/sirius-uncertainty-at-the-rocks-20141114-11lt8j.html
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