An interesting dilemma faced Newman College and St Mary’s College when they received a substantial gift two years ago: should they build more accommodation, fund extra scholarships or put the money to other use? They decided to commission an Academic Centre—a library with associated rooms for seminars, IT and music practice. Father Peter L’Estrange sj, the Rector of Newman and Sr Deirdre Rofe ibvm, then Principal of St Mary’s, managed the project jointly. Unfortunately Sr Deirdre, whose portrait hangs in the foyer, did not live to see the completed building.
There were few options for the site of the building. There was so little suitable space available that it was necessary to build the new library suspended over an existing open car park that was equidistant between the two colleges. The budget of $8 million was not high for such a complex building.
The selection process to find the best architect was exemplary, the only criticism one might level is that it was a totally Melbourne-centric choice. Half a dozen good architects were interviewed and re-interviewed until the Melbourne firm of Edmond & Corrigan was chosen; a brave choice in some minds considering their colourful and exuberant post-modern building at RMIT on Swanston Street. Quite apart from the reputation of the architects, the relationship of any new building to those by Walter Burley Griffin at Newman College—now on all the heritage lists—must have weighed heavily on the collective mind.
The later college buildings that were not designed by Griffin, such as the Chapel and the Donovan Wing, had all tried to more or less match the scale, and materials of the Griffin buildings. The St Mary’s buildings of the ‘60s are of the same height and scale, but are not so interesting in a design sense and clearly did not pose quite the same contextual problem as the Griffin buildings. The common Australian attitude to heritage is often a servile one of over-deference; in Italy it would be assumed that what was needed was the best modern building of our time. Most good architects would also insist on this position and in this case there was an enlightened client, minimising such concerns.
Edmond & Corrigan made their reputation with the Church of the Resurrection at Keysborough built in the last half of the 1970s, and the parish buildings and school that followed the church. These very low budget buildings were a celebration