Liner House | 1960 | NSW

addres: 13-15 Bridge Street
location: Sydney NSW
Date of construction: 1960
architects: Bunning & Madden
type: Commerce: (COM)

Liner House was erected in 1959 to house the Australian headquarters of Wilh Wilhelmsen Agency Pty Ltd, Norway’s largest shipping organisation. The company decided to restrict the building to the company’s own use and the building height to that of the neighbouring properties and immediate streetscape. The external walls and ground floor shipping chamber were faced with stone to harmonise with the major part of the street. The RAIA awarded the building the Sulman Award in 1961. The building is dominated by the horizontal louvre framed facade which aligns with the adjacent facades. The facade is set back one metre and comprises aluminium curtain waft patterning and an aluminium panelled cantilivered awning.

 

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1.1 Current Name Of Building Liner House, Commercial Office/Building

2 History of building

Structure and Services

The building is a steel column frame. The floors are constructed in a
reinforced concrete ribbed system with clear spans of 35′. The building
incorporates a curtain wall (set back 4′ from the building line) of anodised
aluminium members with spandrel panels of navy blue coloured ceramic
glass. All the glazing (in panels measuring 5’6″ wide by 7′ high) is fixed
except for one sliding panel on each floor to provide access to the exterior
surface.

The building was designed in harmony with the streetscape, which was
predominantly of masonry construction (i.e. the Burns Philp & Co. Ltd.
Building designed by McCredie and Anderson constructed in dressed and
rusticated stone in 1900 and Scottish House designed by Spain and Cosh
in 1926 with a dressed stone facade.) Accordingly, stone facings are
applied to the street facing flanking walls and ground floor shipping
chamber. The facing stone (English Portland) was selected to
complement both the stone of the adjoining buildings and the stone for
internal fitting (Perricot stone). The strong horizontal emphasis of the
adjoining buildings is complemented by the use of 4′ deep louvered sun
hoods and the use of a generous proportion of ‘Georgian character’ in the
panel subdivisions of the curtain wall. The deep sun hood allowed for a
reduction in the load of air conditioning system by projecting the north
facing windows from the summer sun.

All office spaces were provided with a grid system of floor outlet boxes for
power and telephone outlets. The fully automatic lift was installed which
provided a capacity of 26 persons at a run of 300′ per minute. A PABX
system and teleprinter was installed to satisfy the owner’s extensive
electronic communication requirements. A pneumatic tube system was
also installed for the delivery of material between departments.
Internal Finishes

Generally most of the office floor ceilings were fitted with Malley’s Ltd.
perforated metal acoustic panels to provide for flexibility in lighting and air
conditioning arrangements. Most of the floors were fitted with vinyl tiles in
the corridor spaces, and linoleum to the office spaces. Exceptions were
the ground floor Shipping Chamber which was floored with a checker
board pattern of scag-terazzo and the Directors’ Suite and Board Room
fitted with Tasmanian Oak parquetry. The walls were generally rendered
and painted except throughout the ground and mezzanine floors where
panelling of Thailand teak was installed. The Directors Suite and Board
Room were panelled in English Beech with insert moulded beads of
Tasmanian Oak with insert moulded beads of Tasmanian Oak.

Prominent in the design of the Shipping Chamber are the mural screen
and spiral staircase. The mural screen was designed by sculptor Douglas
Annand and manufactured and executed by Z. Vesley’s Metal Products of
Marrickville. Measuring 32′ by 11′ it forms the side wall to the former
Passage Department located on the mezzanine floor. Supported by a
structural metal framework hung from the floor above, it incorporates 160
different shapes in the materials of brass, copper, aluminium and
stainless steel. Variety in the shapes is achieved by use of concave,
convex, perforated, non-perforated and beaten patterns. The spiral
staircase turns 360 degrees in a height of 12′ 6″. It is constructed of
terrazzo-filled steel tread pans carried off two bracket supported structural
steel carriage pieces. (Clive Lucas Stapleton 52-54:1997)
Physical condition is excellent. Archaeological potential is low.

Date condition updated: 04 Aug 97
Modifications and dates:
– late 1959 – construction commenced
– 1960 – construction completed
– 1965 – relocation and installation of PABX room to fifth floor
– 1967 – partitioning to second and third floors
– 1969 – partitioning to the ground and mezzanine
– 1970 – partitioning from the mezzanine, first to third floors
– 1981 – partitioning to the first floor
– 1984 – conversion of fourth floor Caretakers flat to office space and partitioning

Historical notes:
The subject building is located on part of the former Government Lumber
Yard, established on the south-west side of the ‘Bridgeway’ (Bridge
Street) over the Tank Stream and east of ‘High Street’ (George Street).
Hughes developed the site by building a group of four single storey brick
built hipped roofed buildings fronted by a stone colonnade. The complex
was used primarily as shops and was known for a period as ‘Pauls Row’.
Moore died in December 1840 and as with the bulk of his estate, the
property was bequeathed to the Church of England. It seems probable
that the site was redeveloped again in the mid-1850’s with the building of
a one storey structure. The property remained in church ownership
through a succession of trustees until November 1938 when it was
purchased by Burns Philip Trust Ltd.

By the 1910s through to the 1930s, no.13 Bridge Street was leased by the
well known sanitary engineers, Tylor & Sons Pty Ltd. No 15 Bridge Street
was leased by Smith and Lane, printers and stationers. Towards the end
of this period the premises at no.13 Bridge Street were known as ‘Roylt
Chambers’.

By the commencement of the 1940s no.13 Bridge Street was leased by
the Leyton Lantern Cafe, and no.15 Bridge Street by Norton & HubandSmith
Pty Ltd, auctioneers and valuators.

The property was purchased by Qantas Empire Airways Ltd. in October
1945. At about this time the buildings were converted for use as the
Qantas Cargo Terminal. This use continued until December 1957. The
property was purchased by the Wilh Wilhelmsen Agency Pty Ltd in early
1958. The nineteenth century building was demolished in mid-1959. The
new building was designed by Bunning and Madden architects for the
Wilh Wilhelmsen Agency Pty Ltd. (Wilhelmsen at this time occupied an
office opposite the site). The design for the new building was completed
during early 1959 and construction commenced in late 1959. Construction
time was about 49 weeks. The Wilhelmsen Agency was founded as the
Wilh Wilhelmsen Line in 1861 at Tonsberg, then the premier port of
Norway. The Wilhelmsen Agency was established in Australia in 1918 at
the request of the Wilhelmsen Line as the Norwegian Australia Line
Agency Ltd. The first office in Australia was at 36 Pitt Street. The following
year the agency moved to 89 Pitt Street. In 1926 the name was changed
to Wilh Wilhelmsen Agency Pty Ltd. In 1936 the agency moved to the old
Phoenix House in Hunter Street.

The Agency then occupied the first three floors of the Bridge Street
premises in 1960. At the time of opening of Liner House, the Wilhelmsen
Line was Norway’s largest shipping organisation. Within two decades
following World War II the number of Wilhelmsen sailings had increased
twofold from 18 in 1947/47 to 30 in 1959/60. The building utilised the
maximum floor area provided by the site (45′ wide and 90′ deep), but did
not exploit the potential height maximum. The design philosophy being ‘to
build a house for their (Wilh Wilhelmsen) own use rather than construct a
tall narrow building to exploit the site for its maximum financial return’. In
1961 the building won the Sir John Sulman Medal for the most meritous
building constructed in New South Wales for 1961 in recognition of its
‘consistent honesty in design and good taste for this building’ and ‘very
good manners to (its) neighbours, indicating a strong civic
consciousness.’ The property was purchased for $5.8 million by Clute
Holdings Pty Ltd in February 1986. Prior to this an Interim Conservation
Order (ICO) (No. 391) had been gazetted by the Heritage Council of NSW
in April 1985. This action complicated matters for the new owner when a
lease was made to James Richardson Pty Ltd for the whole of the Ground
and Mezzanine floors from June 1986 for the use as a duty free retail
outlet and office and store. The Clute Holdings application was withdrawn
but the screen and stairs were subsequently blocked out and a neon sign
erected on the stairs. The Heritage Council subsequently sought to have
these alterations removed and charged the architects Richard Mann and
Associates and lessees James Richardson Pty Ltd with offences under
Section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. Following the expiration of the
ICO No. 391 in May 1987 a new ICO (No. 737) was gazetted. In April
1988 a further ICO (No. 845) was gazetted and notice given of a proposal
to make a Permanent Conservation Order (PCO) for the building. This
was the first time a modern era premises was subject to a Permanent
Conservation Order. James Richardson Pty Ltd who continued as the
lessee at the time objected to the making of the PCO under Section 41 of
the Heritage Act of 1977 in that it would render the premises incapable of
‘reasonable or economic use’. This issue was addressed at the
subsequent Commission Enquiry. The extent of the unauthorised building
work was described as:
– a plasterboard on a metal frame partition structure placed in front of the
Douglas Annand mural;
– a wooden enclosure around the spiral staircase;
– a neon light attached to the wooden enclosure around the spiral
staircase; and
– a glass covered showcase below the spiral staircase.
The Commissioner of Inquiry, William Simpson, found in October 1988 in
favour of upholding the making of the PCO. The alterations were
subsequently removed. The current owner purchased the property in
February 1997 (Clive Lucas Stapleton 1997:51-57)

2.1 Original Brief/Purpose Commercial Building

2.2 Dates: Commission/Completion Completed 1959-1960

2.3 Architectural Designers Bunning and Madden

2.4 Others Associated With Building Douglas Annand

2.5 Significant Alterations With Dates
Late 1959 – construction commenced
1960 – construction completed
1965 – relocation and installation of PABX room to fifth floor
1967 – partitioning to second and third floors
1969 – partitioning to the ground and mezzanine
1970 – partitioning from the mezzanine, first to third floors
1981 – partitioning to the first floor
1984 – conversion of fourth floor Caretakers flat to office space and
partitioning with insert moulded beads of Tasmanian Oak.

2.6 Current Use Commercial

2.7 Current Condition Excellent, Physical condition is excellent. Archaeological potential.

3 Description

3.1 General Description
The building is a steel column frame. The floors are constructed in a
reinforced concrete ribbed system with clear spans of 35′. The building
incorporates a curtain wall (set back 4′ from the building line) of anodised
aluminium members with spandrel panels of navy blue coloured ceramic
glass. All the glazing (in panels measuring 5’6″ wide by 7′ high) is fixed
except for one sliding panel on each floor to provide access to the exterior
surface.

The building was designed in harmony with the streetscape, which was
predominantly of masonry construction (i.e. the Burns Philip & Co. Ltd.
Building designed by McCredie and Anderson constructed in dressed and
rusticated stone in 1900 and Scottish House designed by Spain and Cosh
in 1926 with a dressed stone facade.) Accordingly, stone facings are
applied to the street facing flanking walls and ground floor shipping
chamber. The facing stone (English Portland) was selected to
complement both the stone of the adjoining buildings and the stone for
internal fitting (Perricot stone).

The strong horizontal emphasis of the adjoining buildings is
complemented by the use of 4′ deep louvered sun hoods and the use of a
generous proportion of ‘Georgian character’ in the panel subdivisions of
the curtain wall. The deep sun hood allowed for a reduction in the load of
air conditioning system by projecting the north facing windows from the
summer sun.

The fully automatic lift was installed a complex PABX system and
teleprinter and a pneumatic tube system

Internal Finishes
Generally most of the office floor ceilings were fitted with Malley’s Ltd.
perforated metal acoustic panels to provide for flexibility in lighting and air
conditioning arrangements. Most of the floors were fitted with vinyl tiles in
the corridor spaces, and linoleum to the office spaces. Exceptions were
the ground floor Shipping Chamber which was floored with a checker
board pattern of scag-terazzo and the Directors’ Suite and Board Room
fitted with Tasmanian Oak parquetry. The walls were generally rendered
and painted except throughout the ground and mezzanine floors where
panelling of Thailand teak was installed. The Directors Suite and Board
Room were panelled in English Beech with insert-moulded beads of
Tasmanian Oak.

Prominent in the design of the Shipping Chamber are the mural screen
and spiral staircase. The mural screen was designed by sculptor Douglas
Annand and manufactured and executed by Z. Vesley’s Metal Products of
Marrickville. Measuring 32′ by 11′ it forms the sidewall to the former
Passage Department located on the mezzanine floor. Supported by a
structural metal framework hung from the floor above, it incorporates 160
different shapes in the materials of brass, copper, aluminium and
stainless steel. Variety in the shapes is achieved by use of concave,
convex, perforated, non-perforated and beaten patterns. The spiral
staircase turns 360 degrees in a height of 12′ 6″. It is constructed of
terrazzo-filled steel tread pans carried off two bracket supported structural
steel carriage pieces.

Aesthetic

Sulman Medal of 1961.

Public Art Program by Annand.

Shows the influence of Terragni on Australian work. The building is
significant as possibly the finest post war example of a sympathetic
modernist component as part of a significant streetscape.

3.2 Construction

3.3 Context
Physical condition is excellent. Archaeological potential.

4 Evaluation

4.1 Technical

4.2 Social
The social value of Liner house is demonstrated through an ongoing
recognition of the building’s aesthetic and historic value at the time the
building was constructed through the awarding of the Sulman Medal, and
more recently through legislative powers aimed at protecting the cultural
heritage.
Liner House is of social significance for its ability to exemplify by its
modest scale the deliberate decision made by the client not to exploit the
site for its maximum financial return but instead to erect a building which
was modern and yet sympathetic to the nineteenth and early twentieth
century stone faced adjoining buildings.

4.3 Cultural & Aesthetic
Liner House is an outstanding and relatively intact example of an
International Style, curtain walled office building, distinguished particularly
by the quality and consistency of its design, the fineness of its finishes
and its sensitivity to its contemporary neighbours and streetscape. Liner
House incorporates curtain wall construction; Liner House incorporates a
number of interior design and material details, which are typical of a late
1950s curtain wall building. Liner House makes a substantial contribution
to the streetscape of Bridge Street that retains extant examples of late
1950s architectural detailing such as light fittings, the circular staircase,
wall finishes, Boardroom fittings and panelling. Liner House retains the
Douglas Annand screen, considered by the Society of Sculptors as ‘a
considerable artistic advance in commercial building and public sculpture.’
Liner House is associated with the Wilh Wilhelmson Agency and the
historic use of Bridge Street as the hub of offices/agencies associated
with shipping. It was constructed at the close of the 1950s – an era of
unprecedented commercial building activity in central Sydney. It is a
building designed by the notable post second world war architectural
practice of Bunning and Madden.

 

5 Documentation

5.1 Principal References

Documentary Reference
Council Sheet – National Trust, The RAIA, 444 Sydney Buildings p15,
Architecture in Australia (Mag) Dec 1960 p68-71, Qantas House
conservation appendix of Early curtain wall buildlings in Sydney,
Australian Sculpture (Scarlett_ p15-18, Good Weekend (SMH) 2.7.88
p24-31, Post WWII multistoried office, Buildings in Australia (1945-1967)
Taylor Identifying Architecture, Sydney Cityscope Map 5 Page 1, Sydney
Morning Herald 27.10.1959 p.28, 16/08/ p24.

Fiche compiled by Jennifer Hill

 

 

 

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