ICI House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ICI House |
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ICI House
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | International style |
| Town or city | Melbourne |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°48′32″S 144°58′24″E / 37.809°S 144.97344°E |
| Construction started | 1955 |
| Completed | 1958 |
| Client | Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | 81 meters, 20 floors |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bates Smart McCutcheon |
ICI House, now called Orica House, is a tall office building in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It has 19 floors. Construction started in 1955. When it was finished in 1958, it became the tallest building in Australia.
This building broke Melbourne's old height limit of 132 feet (about 40 meters). It was also the first skyscraper in Australia built in the International Style. ICI House showed new ideas like progress and modern design. It changed how big cities in Australia looked forever.
Designing a Modern Skyscraper
The building was designed by Sir Osborne McCutcheon. He worked for a company called Bates Smart McCutcheon. The design was inspired by modern buildings in the United States. These included glass skyscrapers like the United Nations headquarters.
Douglas Gardiner, a partner at Bates Smart McCutcheon, managed the detailed design work. They wanted ICI House to look sleek and modern.
A Glitch in the Glass
Soon after the building was finished, something unexpected happened. Some of the colored glass panels started to break. They would shatter and fall to the street below. This happened because of small flaws in the glass. Also, the hot summer weather in Melbourne made the problem worse.
A Building with History
ICI House is very important to Australia's history. It is one of the few office buildings built after World War II to be listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. It was the first building from that time to get this special recognition. This means it is protected because of its historical and architectural value.
