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49-429: The award recognises significant, long lasting and innovative architecture with usually more than 25 years passed since the completion of construction. The Enduring Architecture Award recognises achievement for the design of buildings of outstanding merit, which have remained important as high quality works of architecture when considered in contemporary cultural, social, economic and environmental contexts. Nominations for

98-614: A bid. Various public protests supported the inclusion of the building on the State heritage Register, including a petition, a crowd funded legal challenge, whose organisers aim to have the Minister's decision annulled; a rally; and a green ban announced by the Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU), under which no company associated with union will be involved with any proposed demolition of

147-778: A part of a development proposal. 'In 1997 the Director of the Urban Research Unit of the Australian National University , stated that the green bans of the New South Wales Builders Labourers' Federation (NSW BLF) had a "subtle influence" in transforming the culture of urban planning in ways that now evince greater sensitivity to environmental concerns, better appreciation of heritage, the need to publicise proposed developments well in advance and to seek approval from

196-506: A public housing development in southern Sydney's Sans Souci . Like that development, Gofers’ original plan was to finish the building in a white colour to match the nearby Sydney Opera House , but due to budget constraints, the building was finished unpainted. Anecdotally, unit 74 of the Sirius building became somewhat of an unofficial Sydney landmark; its sign displaying ‘One Way! Jesus’ clearly visible to Harbour Bridge commuters. The sign

245-431: A symbol of inclusion", while the local member for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek called the government's decision to sell "heartless". The S.O.S Foundation suggested that Sirius could be saved if Lendlease were to purchase the building and develop some of its apartments for social and affordable housing. When Lendlease announced they would not be making a bid for the building, the foundation announced its intention to assemble

294-486: Is chairman of the Save Our Sirius Foundation. Carter has argued that any decision about the building should take account of its social, cultural and environmental significance. A set of "S.O.S." lights flashed over The Rocks and Circular Quay from the top floor of Sirius when they were first installed to coincide with the exhibition S.O.S. Save our Sirius on 2 November 2014. Resident McAloon's sign

343-462: Is making profit. Progressive unions, like ours, therefore have a very useful social role to play in the citizens' interest, and we intend to play it. The BLF was involved in many more green bans. Not only did the BLF represent all unionised builders' labourers in the construction industry; but the BLF also influenced the opinion of other unionised construction workers, and acted as a political leadership of

392-773: Is supported by the National Trust of Australia , the Australian Institute of Architects , the Millers Point Residents Action Group, Friends of Millers Point, Millers Point Public Housing Tenants Group, Unions NSW , CFMEU, and Jack Mundey , the Green Ban campaigner who helped save The Rocks from redevelopment in the 1970s. Previous NSW chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects, Shaun Carter,

441-641: The Sirius Building public housing project in The Rocks and the MLC Building in North Sydney had both been at risk of alteration or demolition at the hands of their owners. The AIA has used the awards to raise public awareness of the plight of culturally significant buildings under threat, assisting in both cases to preserve the building and enhance heritage listing status. Recipients of

490-615: The Greens in the early 1990s Although green bans were conducted for only three to four years in Australia, they influenced international politics significantly because this movement is considered to have contributed to the integration of the word "green" into the world's political idioms. The German politician Petra Kelly came to Australia around the middle of the 1970s and witnessed green bans opposing undesirable development in Sydney by

539-559: The Land and Environment Court ruled the decision by the state’s then-heritage minister Mark Speakman not to place the Sirius public housing complex on the State Heritage Register was “invalid and of no legal effect.” The court determined the government’s claim of financial loss did not constitute “financial hardship” and that the minister failed to consider the building’s heritage significance in his decision. The court ordered

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588-481: The Minister for Heritage ( Gabrielle Upton at the time of the ruling) “to make a decision either to direct or not to direct the listing of the Sirius Apartment Building [...] according to the law". In October 2017, Upton again refused to list Sirius on the state heritage register, noting "In my view, [Sirius] is not a landmark worthy of State heritage protection." The last remaining resident

637-744: The Save Lyndhurst Committee requested a green ban from the Builders Labourers' Federation to prevent the destruction of historic Lyndhurst (built 1833-1835) in Darghan Street, Glebe. Many battles with police took place, including a confrontation between police and squatters on 18 August 1972. The Federal Labor Whitlam government purchased the Glebe estate in 1973 from the Anglican Diocese of Glebe to preserve

686-601: The advice of the Heritage Council of New South Wales , the building was put up for sale. In 2018 the building won the Enduring Architecture Award from NSW Australian Institute of Architects. The complex was built to rehouse public tenants who had been displaced after a controversial redevelopment of the historic Rocks suburb during the 1960s and 70s. The building housed many of the original residents who fought for their right to remain in

735-573: The area during the famous Green bans , whose purpose was not to retain heritage buildings but rather to retain the working class community in The Rocks. Many of the buildings remain, but the majority of the residents were moved into the Sirius apartments in the so-called 'people's plan'. The terraces and town houses they used to call home are owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA), who receive rent from

784-562: The area. In 1978, the Wran-Labor Government decided to abandon much of the inner-urban expressway link and the 19th century character of Glebe remains intact. Green bans influenced local NSW planning structures as well as national planning systems. "The Green ban movement in Sydney and Melbourne of the early 1970s, led by the Builder Labourers Federation, was the most profound external indication of

833-505: The award can be made by AIA members, non–members and non–architects, but must provide adequate material and information supporting the nomination for consideration of the jury. The nomination process is open to AIA members and public via a web portal during the awards submission window (between November and February). The Enduring Architecture Award has gained an important role in highlighting conservation efforts for highly valued buildings at risk of significant changes or even demolition. Both

882-592: The building in 2016, but this was denied by the Heritage Minister, Mark Speakman . The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales was advised in a hearing that redevelopment would affect views of the Sydney Opera House , a World Heritage Site , as well as "impinge on the Rocks' low-rise heritage, wharves, sandstone buildings and Victorian terraces". In July 2016 Speakman announced that

931-459: The building is a prominent example of Brutalist architecture in Australia. It also has striking repetitive geometries in reaction to the Japanese metabolist architecture movement. Notable for being the only high rise development in The Rocks, Sirius housed 79 apartments with one, two, three or four bedrooms, generally with single storey apartments to two and three storey walk ups. The complex

980-617: The building would not be heritage listed "despite a unanimous recommendation by the Heritage Council", citing the loss of financial return as a consequence of listing as the reason. The Sirius building is included on the World Monuments Fund 's 2018 list of monuments at risk, with the listing calling "on the government of New South Wales to respect the recommendation of its heritage experts and allow its citizens to maintain an important social legacy". In July 2017,

1029-569: The building's facade at sunset by Katherine Lu. Green ban A green ban is a form of strike action , usually taken by a trade union or other organised labour group, which is conducted for environmentalist or conservationist purposes. They were mainly done in Australia in the 1970s, led by the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) and used to protect parkland , low-income housing and buildings with historical significance . At times, industrial action

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1078-499: The building. On 28 June 2019, the NSW government announced that Sirius would be refurbished rather than demolished. The NSW Housing Minister , Melinda Pavey , announced that the building had been sold for A$ 150 million to Sirius Developments Pty Ltd, which was owned by private investment firm JDH Capital, subsequently identified as a shell company for Sirius Developments, set up for the deal by Jean-Dominique Huynh, and apparently without

1127-421: The built form are being undertaken by JDH Capital, BVN Architecture , 360 Degrees Landscape Architects and Kelly Hoppen (Interiors) with construction by Richard Crookes Construction. Branding and marketing collateral was prepared by Hoyne. In 2017, a book by John Dunn, Ben Peake and Amiera Piscopo documenting the story of the building and its residents was published by Piper Press. The cover features an image of

1176-516: The construction unions in the era. Fifty-four bans were imposed in NSW between 1971 and 1974. Green bans helped to protect historic nineteenth century buildings in The Rocks from being demolished to make way for office towers, and prevented the Royal Botanic Gardens from being turned into a carpark for the Sydney Opera House . The BLF stopped conducting green bans in 1974 after the federal leadership under Norm Gallagher dismissed

1225-438: The cooperation between the BLF and local citizens. She was very impressed with this movement, the connection accomplished between environmentalists and the BLF, and the success they made in many campaigns. It is also known that she often stated that green bans had a great impact on both herself and her philosophy. Subsequently, she brought back the idea of green bans as well as the terminology "green" to Germany, and established

1274-482: The database marked red are in particular jeopardy. There are few Australian entries in the project, but Sirius is at the top of the list of the world's endangered Brutalist buildings. A decision to sell the building was made in 2015 by the Baird Coalition government , thereby placing it under risk of demolition due to a lack of any heritage protection. The NSW Heritage Council recommended heritage listing for

1323-487: The environment, than to build ugly unimaginative architecturally-bankrupt blocks of concrete and glass offices... Though we want all our members employed, we will not just become robots directed by developer-builders who value the dollar at the expense of the environment. More and more, we are going to determine which buildings we will build... The environmental interests of three million people are at stake and cannot be left to developers and building employers whose main concern

1372-630: The environment. Green bans saved many vital urban spaces and over 100 buildings were considered by the National Trust to be worthy of preservation. Another example of a green ban in Sydney was the proposed North-Western Expressway that was planned by the Department of Main Roads in the early 1970s. The expressway would have cut through the working class residential areas of Ultimo , Glebe , Annandale , Rozelle and Leichhardt . In July 1972,

1421-768: The green bans led to the Wran government introducing two acts, firstly the Heritage legislation- The Heritage Act 1977, and secondly the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EP&A) 1979. The Greens New South Wales (and by extension the federal party ) in part draws its name from the Green Bans, and the New South Wales branch evolved out of the Green ban movement. Jack Mundey would later Join

1470-480: The leaders of the New South Wales branch. Although green bans have been implemented on a number of occasions since the 1970s, they have not been so prevalent, nor so comprehensive in their effect. One estimate of the effect of the BLF's green bans puts the amount of development prevented at A$ 3 billion between 1971 and 1974 (approximately A$ 25 billion in 2018 money ). One of the last bans to be removed

1519-439: The men who kidnapped him had been hired by the property developer, Frank Theeman. The New South Wales Police collaborated with Theeman and his employees during the ban and eventually carried out a forced mass eviction of squatters and residents, which saw squatters barricade themselves in a siege for two days. In 1973 mysterious arson attacks happened across Victoria Street, which killed 23 year old Esther George. The green ban

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1568-477: The need for planning reform." In 1977 an editorial from the Australian quoted "bans were an inevitable result of official attitudes which regarded people as irrelevant factors to development". He also indicated that the decision making process then was devoid of appropriate involvement by relevant communities and individuals. During the movement infamous redevelopment projects were discarded or scale down, and

1617-411: The people affected'. Similar union bans were started in other cities in Australia including Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart however to a lesser level than Sydney. The green ban movement became a powerful tool of influencing city developments by involving the wider community to sign petitions in order to prevent destruction of a heritage or environmentally significant sites. Ultimately,

1666-498: The planning reform finally began. The previously confined approach to land use planning, due to a "paradigm meltdown", started to incorporate concerns from community. On one hand, new historical buildings legislations were founded in the 1970s across several states, and on the other the ground legislation of the current planning system The green bans in the 1970s initiated a democratic National and State planning systems in which heritage as well as environmentally significant sites became

1715-464: The requisite experience delivering a project "of a similar scale". It is intended that the building will be redeveloped into 76 apartments, plus retail and commercial spaces. The proceeds of the sale are expected to provide social housing for around 630 people. On release $ 435 million worth of apartments were sold by developer JDH Capital in one weekend at a rate of $ 118,000 per square metre. The major 2022—2023 refurbishment and significant changes to

1764-604: The run up to the Awards presentation, three buildings were announced as under consideration for the 2024 Award including; St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney by Michael Fox Architects, NSW State Projects, William Wardell and Cyril Wardell; The Glass House, Castlecrag by Bill and Ruth Lucas and St Johns Village, Glebe by Hely, Bell & Horne (winner of the 1964 Sir John Sulman Medal ). At the NSW Architecture Awards held on 28 June 2024, The Glass House, Castlecrag

1813-530: The site. The developer, A V Jennings, announced that they would use non-union labour as strikebreakers . In response, BLF members on other A V Jennings construction projects stopped work. A V Jennings eventually abandoned all plans to develop Kelly's Bush. Jack Mundey summarised the philosophy of the Green Bans as such: Yes, we want to build. However, we prefer to build urgently-required hospitals, schools, other public utilities, high-quality flats, units and houses, provided they are designed with adequate concern for

1862-625: The state–based award are then eligible for consideration for the National Award for Enduring Architecture presented later in the same year, as part of the Australian National Architecture Awards. Between 2003 and 2023 ten of the 21 National Awards were located in New South Wales. In February 2024 it was announced the three person jury would be formed of Caroline Pidcock (Jury Chair), Paulo Macchia ( Government Architect NSW ) and Leone Lorrimer (GHD). In

1911-569: The tenants living in the building. Sirius is among the few quality examples of the Brutalism style in Australia, demonstrating the style's objective of ethical design based on social concerns, as well as its focus on the truthful expression of materials, function and structure. Designed by Housing Commission architect, Tao Gofers, Sirius was based on Gofer's other major project for the Housing Commission: The Laurels,

1960-527: Was Myra Demetriou, who in 2017 was 90 and legally blind. Efforts to move the last residents were made to accommodation described as "unsuitable". Demetriou moved out as the last resident on 1 February 2018. The Sirius building is set to welcome new residents in July 2024, five years after its contentious sale and subsequent redevelopment. The S.O.S. (Save Our Sirius Foundation) was formed by people and organisations campaigning to save Sirius and its residents and

2009-551: Was briefly replaced by lights flashing S.O.S. to the Harbour Bridge traffic, but this was soon 'confiscated' by Housing NSW and McAloon 'relocated' by Housing NSW. Other supporters of the building include Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore , state member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich , and the Australian Labor Party . Anthony Albanese described the Sirius building as "not just a place people call home, but

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2058-489: Was broken in 1974 when the conservative federal leadership of the BLF, under pressure from New South Wales politicians, dismissed the leaders of the New South Wales branch, and replaced them with more conservative people who did not support the ban. Activists, led by activist, resident, and journalist Juanita Nielsen , then convinced another union, the Water Board Employees Union, to impose a ban which

2107-512: Was built to rehouse displaced public tenants after a controversial redevelopment of the Rocks during the 1960s and 70s. From 2015, the Sirius building was at the centre of controversy over plans to remove the residents, sell off the building and possibly redevelop the site, with opponents of the plans seeking to secure its protection as a heritage building. Following the NSW Government's decision to refuse heritage listing in 2017, against

2156-429: Was continued for some time. Nielsen was then kidnapped and murdered in 1975. The struggle ended with a stand-off in 1977. The developer had been forced to alter his plans, but the residents had been forced out. In February 1973, Jack Mundey coined the term "green ban" to distinguish them from the traditional union "black bans". Mundey argued that the term "green ban" was more appropriate as they were in defence of

2205-501: Was in place for around 10 years, although the owner of the sign, Owen McAloon, and his motivations to spread a Christian message remained generally unknown. The Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt has included Sirius in #SOSBrutalism, a growing database that currently contains over 700 Brutalist buildings. Importantly, #SOSBrutalism is a platform for a large campaign ‘to save our beloved concrete monsters’. The buildings in

2254-530: Was presented with the 2024 Award. The Award was accepted by Peter Lucas, son of Ruth and Bill Lucas, and builder of the recent restoration of the house completed in 2023 with Cracknell & Lonergan Architects. Sirius Building The Sirius building is an apartment complex in The Rocks district of Sydney , New South Wales , Australia. Designed for the Housing Commission of New South Wales in 1978–1979 by commission architect Tao Gofers,

2303-514: Was put in place to protect Kelly's Bush, the last remaining undeveloped bushland in the Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill . A group of local women who had already appealed to the local council, mayor, and the Premier of New South Wales , approached the BLF for help. The BLF asked the women to call a public meeting, which was attended by 600 residents, and formally asked the BLF to prevent construction on

2352-408: Was to prevent development of Victoria Street in the suburb of Potts Point . This ban involved hundreds of residents, trade union members, and other activists and was successful for a number of years, despite facing a well-connected developer who employed thugs to harass residents. Arthur King, the head of the residents' action group, was kidnapped in 1973. It was suspected, though never proved, that

2401-621: Was used in relation to other issues, such as when a ' pink ban ' was placed on Macquarie University due to the expulsion of Jeremy Fisher , a gay man , from student housing. Green bans were first conducted in Australia in the 1970s by the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation (BLF). Green bans were never instigated unilaterally by the BLF, all green bans were at the request of, and in support of, residents' groups. The first green ban

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