Eagle House, 473-481 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1984
Archives
Total copies: 1
Title:
Eagle House, 473-481 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1984
Search dates:
01 Jan 1984 - 31 Dec 1984
Reference number:
Butler13308
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materials
Part of:
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted
Use restrictions:
Unrestricted
General notes:
RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2024:__________________________________________________DATE: 1971;ASSOCIATIONS: Eagle Star Insurance;DESIGNER: Yuncken Freeman Architects P/L;___________________________GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistoryThe London insurance company, Eagle Star Insurance Co. Ltd., although established by 1807, was unrepresented in Melbourne until this century. Architects, Yuncken Freeman Architects Pty. Ltd., were commissioned in the late 1960s and works commenced to redevelop the company's site in 1970, completing an office building of 12 storeys and two basements in sufficient time to win the 1972 Award of Merit in the R.A.I.A. Victorian Architects Awards, General Category. The jury said, `This building establishes a new aesthetic for office buildings in which the office worker comes first in importance. It is one of the most attractive and elegant office buildings in Australia'.As an expression of the awakening humanitarianism which followed the technocratic post-war period, others observed that its devotion of the commercially valuable ground floor to a staff cafeteria and conference centre plus new office landscaping, expressed a `human quality uncommon in city buildings'. Externally however there was no argument about its refinement of existing commercial themes, paralleling with the firm's more controversial BHP House which also presented honed metal cladding to the street and also sought an award. However in the time elapsed since the Eagle House award, the profession had polarised, forming a vocal reaction against the `inhuman' rationalist themes presented more obviously by the later and larger building. Apart from the MMBW Building and BHP House, Eagle House was the last central business district building to receive an architectural award for many years to come, where the pursuit of profit was seen by the profession as an obstacle to creative and useful design. In time accusations would also be levelled at Eagle Star over its sheer face and consequent down draft, with no protection at the entrance. The human factor had been ignored externally: so refined was the facade at the expense of its utilityDescriptionPlacement of the service core at the rear and side boundaries maximised the extent of full height glass windows on the facade. The windows were set in aluminium clad panels on a 2700mm horizontal module, matching in perceivable height (from the interior) and modular width, the prescribed minimum ceiling clearance for commercial buildings. The resulting glazed square was a key to the building's visual success belying the directional fenestration emphasis of contemporary buildings (vertical versus horizontal) and returning to one aspect of the 1950s box concept by detailing the aluminium and glass surfaces into one gleaming plane or skin but declining another by concealment of the structural grid. Looking out there was the ceiling, floor and the great outdoors, with no reference to a traditional window as a frame except for the obligatory chair or vertigo rail. Because the fire separation between floors was achieved by turning the fire wall down, below the floor level, monitory advantages accrued when rentable floor measurement was taken from the chair rail and not the typically thicker masonry spandrel or fire wall of typical contemporary construction. Unlike the 1950s glass boxes (i.e. 100 Collins Street), however there was now a service chamber above the ceiling housing air-conditioning ducts. This was in turn reflected on the external elevation as horizontal bands of aluminium and served to obscure part of the structure (floor slab) and, in effect, took its place. Hence the facade presents a pseudo structural grid rather than the transparent facade of the 1950s. The direct predecessor of this principle in Melbourne was Skidmore Owings and Merrill's Shell House (1960) also aluminium clad, Yuncken Freeman's own offices, King Street and in America, buildings such as General Life Insurance, Connecticut (1957) and the Pepsi -Cola Company Offices, New York (1959).External IntegrityGenerally original.StreetscapeRelates closely to BHP House, Shell House and the former Estates House.SignificanceIt was both the prototype and the best example of a refinement of contemporary American commercial office design inside and outside to its simplest expression, perfected in Melbourne by Yuncken Freeman Architects. The detailing and cladding have ensured the continuing retention of this status.___________________________Victorian Heritage Register (VHR)Number H1807Statement of SignificanceWhat is significant?Eagle House was built in 1970-71, and was designed by the noted Melbourne firm of Yuncken Freeman Bros. Architects, as the headquarters for the local branch of the London based Eagle Star Insurance Co. The completed building was highly regarded by the architectural community, winning the RAIA Award of Merit in 1972 as 'one of the most elegant and attractive office buildings in Australia', as well as the inaugural Alcoa Australia Award for aluminium use in 1973. The green tinted glass and natural finished aluminium curtain wall is delicately detailed, and flush, forming a taut skin over the simple rectangular volume of the projecting front section of the 12 storey office tower. The service core, a simple aluminium clad volume, is located towards the rear of the site, allowing the curtain wall section to appear free-standing.How is it significant?Eagle House is of architectural significance to the State of Victoria.Why is it significant?Eagle House is of architectural significance as one of the finest examples of the curtain wall phase of Australian commercial architecture. The walling is particularly sophisticated, representing the ultimate refinement of the sheer skin-like qualities of earlier examples, such as Gilbert Court and ICI House. The green tinted glass and natural finished aluminium are detailed to be absolutely flush, and form a tight 'skin' wrapping around the front tower-like portion of the building. The curtain wall is finely resolved and detailed, incorporating one of the first examples of floor to ceiling glazing, with vertigo rail, and thick horizontal bands of the aluminium cladding, covering the ceiling space. The elegance of the design is enhanced by the slim vertical mullions, which create a fine grid, and by cantilevering the whole first bay of the building, minimising the visibility of the structural concrete columns within. Eagle House is notable for its use of colour and materials and slick modern presentation, while its modest scale and fine proportions allow the building to retain a human scale. Its qualities were recognised by the RAIA, which gave the building the Award of Merit in 1972.Eagle House is also part of a nationally important precinct of post-war commercial office towers, including the highly significant (former) BHP building, the adjacent (former) Estates House, both by Yuncken Freeman, and the AMP tower and St. James building complex by Skidmore Owings and Merrill.___________________________GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM___________________________GRAEME BUTLER 1982-3, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (VIC) 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE SURVEY and 20th CENTURY BUILDINGS REGISTERhttps://dynamic.architecture.com.au/i-cms_file?page=4048/VicRegister08xls.pdf___________________________Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) NumberH1807Extent of Registration1.All the exterior including roof and the interior of the ground floor of the building known as Eagle House marked B1 on Diagram Number 605805 held by the Executive Director.2. the land marked L1 on Diagram Number 605805, held by the Executive Director being all the land described in Certificate of Title Vol 5962 Folio 244.___________________________City of Melbourne i -Heritage:`HistoryThe London insurance company, Eagle Star Insurance Co. Ltd., although established by 1807, was unrepresented in Melbourne until the 20th century. Architects, Yuncken Freeman Architects Pty Ltd., were commissioned in the late 1960s and works commenced to redevelop the company's site in 1970, completing an office building of 12 storeys and two basements in sufficient time to win the 1972 Award of Merit in the R.A.I.A. Victorian Architects Awards, General Category.Description/Notable FeaturesNotable features include an intact shop front.Placement of the service core at the rear and side boundaries maximised the extent of full height glass windows on the facade. The windows were set in aluminium clad panels on a 2700mm horizontal module, matching in perceivable height (from the interior) and modular width, the prescribed minimum ceiling clearance for commercial buildings. The resulting glazed square was a key to the building's visual success belying the directional fenestration emphasis of contemporary buildings (vertical versus horizontal) and returning to one aspect of the 1950s box concept by detailing the aluminium and glass surfaces into one gleaming plane or skin but declining another by concealment of the structural grid. Looking out there was the ceiling, floor and the great outdoors, with no reference to a traditional window as a frame except for the obligatory chair or vertigo rail. Because the fire separation between floors was achieved by turning the fire wall down, below the floor level, monitory advantages accrued when rentable floor measurement was taken from the chair rail and not the typically thicker masonry spandrel or fire wall of typical contemporary construction. Unlike the 1950s glass boxes (i.e. 100 Collins Street), however there was now a service chamber above the ceiling housing air-conditioning ducts. This was in turn reflected on the external elevation as horizontal bands of aluminium and served to obscure part of the structure (floor slab) and, in effect, took its place. Hence the facade presents a pseudo structural grid rather than the transparent facade of the 1950s. The direct predecessor of this principle in Melbourne was Skidmore Owings and Merrill's Shell House (1960) also aluminium clad, Yuncken Freeman's own offices, King Street and in America, buildings such as General Life Insurance, Connecticut (1957) and the Pepsi -Cola Company Offices, New York (1959).'___________________________WEBhttps://wongm.com/2011/05/bourke-street-melbourne-heritage-skyscrapers/http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/building467_eagle-house.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuncken_Freemanhttp://www.walkingmelbourne.com/search.html?architects=Yuncken+FreemanMUAhttp://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=displayObject&port=40208&id=a6a3&flag=eparties&offset=0&count=default&view=details
Location of originals:
\\mcc\groups\comserv\Melbourne Library Service\Community Heritage\Spydus\Butler collection\Butler13308.tif
Record types:
Images, maps and artefacts
Record number:
755295
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Butler13308 | 60.0 MB ; 3679 x 5672 px | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |