The Ghosts of the Griffins and the Competition for a New Parliament House

Abstract

The competition for a new Parliament House in Canberra in 1979 had to accommodate a number of issues. These included the political sensitivity of choosing the prominent, elevated site of Capital Hill at the apex of the Parliamentary Triangle and at the end of a powerful Land Axis. These geometries were two of the major organising features in the planning for Canberra, as proposed by the Griffins, Walter Burley and Marion Mahony in their winning competition entry for the city design of 1912. The site of Capital Hill was originally designated by the Griffins as being set aside for a public building – “The Capitol” – and it was expressly not to be used for government purposes. The status of the..