Brilliant architects who shaped the face of Canberra

Our city is always evolving, with stunning new developments and homes featuring the latest design trends and building technologies.

But as we set our sights on the future, we thought it was only fitting to tip our hat to 8 early architects who helped shape our beautiful city….

Alastair Swayn

Born in Scotland, Alastair Swayne moved to Canberra in 1979 where he became director of an award-winning local architectural firm and was later appointed the ACT government's inaugural architect.

Some of Swayn’s work includes:

• Brindabella Business Park at Canberra Airport
• the Australian Institute of Sports Visitors Centre
• the CSIRO Discovery Centre
• Lake Ginninderra College
• Bonython Primary
• the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

His style was always progressively sustainable, and reflected his humanitarian values of equality and community.

Alastair was also a Professor of Architecture at the University of Canberra, and passed away in 2016.

Michael Dysart

Although architect Michael Dysart is based in Sydney, his 1970s designs of the Urambi Village in Kambah and Wybalena Grove in Cook are perhaps two of the most celebrated residential designs in the ACT.

His unique style pays homage to a property’s natural setting, with clever layouts offering scenic views in every direction. Characteristic inclusions include split level floorplans, clerestory windows, timber decks, and exposed beams.

Dysart still resides in Sydney and is presenting at this year’s Design Canberra Festival.

Harry Siedler

Born in Austria, Harry Siedler moved to Australia in 1948. His architectural work won countless awards, and he is widely recognised as having contributed extensively to Australia’s landscape.

Some of Siedler’s work in Canberra includes:

• Bowden House
• Barton offices on Kings Avenue
• Lakeview townhouses in Yarralumla
• Campbell Group Housing apartments
• Canberra South Bowling Club

Siedler’s designs were contemporary for their time, and constantly evolved to stay on trend with social norms and the latest building technologies. He passed away in 2006, aged 82.

Kenneth Oliphant

Born in Victoria in 1896, Kenneth Oliphant moved to Canberra in 1926 when he was posted here to supervise the construction of Canberra’s earliest homes in Forrest – built for the first public servants moving to Australia’s new capital.

He then went on to privately design more than 30 original homes in Canberra, mostly in Red Hill, Forrest, Barton and Griffith. One of his designs was for Canberra’s first real estate agents – Calthorpe and Woodger – which is now the heritage-listed museum, Calthorpes’ House, in Red Hill.

Oliphant drew inspiration from several architectural styles, and his homes often feature intricate detail, ornate ceilings, fireplaces, and intuitive layouts.

Oliphant retired in the 1960s and passed away in 1975.

John Smith Murdoch

Unknown to many, John Smith Murdoch was a devoted architect who played a prominent role in designing Canberra, including:

• Old Parliament House
• the Hyatt Hotel
• Hotel Kurrajong
• Kingston Power Station (now Canberra Glassworks)
• Gorman House
• Ainslie Public School

Murdoch grew up in Scotland and moved to Australia in the 1880s where he worked his way up to become Australia’s Commonwealth Chief Architect by 1919.

He worked closely with Walter Burley Griffin on Canberra’s urban design, and favoured classic design principles with clean lines, harmonious proportions, open space and lots of natural light.

Romaldo Giurgola

Romaldo Giurgola is a globally revered architect who was invited to be on the panel of judges for the 1980 competition to design Parliament House. Instead, he entered and beat out 329 other entrants to win it.

It was then that Giurgola, who was born in Italy and designed numerous architectural masterpieces in the United States, came to live in Canberra where he stayed until his passing at age 95.

Giurgola also designed St Thomas Aquinas Catholic church in Charnwood, and his own home at Lake Bathurst in Goulburn.

Margaret Hendry

While much of Canberra’s early architectural history comes from male architects, Margaret Hendry was the first female landscape architect in Australia whose love of nature and remarkable design skill helped shape our nation’s capital.

Hendry studied all over the world before moving to Canberra in 1963 where she designed numerous town centres, shopping centres, schools, and public spaces.

She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1992 and passed away in 2001. The new Margaret Hendry School in Taylor is named in her honour.

A tribute to the master

It seems fitting that we pay our respects to a man whose architectural nous and vision paved the way for the beautiful city we live in: Walter Burley Griffin.

Born on November 24, 1987 in Illinois, Griffin was 34 when he entered a competition to design a then unnamed new federal capital city. By that stage of his life, Griffin had gained a Bachelor in Architecture and worked extensively in Chicago designing buildings and urban landscapes.

His entry was chosen from 136 other designs, and he went on to visit – and later move to – Australia with his wife. Although not all of Griffin’s original design was realised, we still have him to thank for many of the urban elements which make Canberra so impressive.

“I have planned a city that is not like any other in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any government authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city – a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future.”

- Walter Burley Griffin

"ACT Honour Walk : John Smith Murdoch CMG" by ArchivesACT is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/