Orica House
| Orica House | |
|---|---|
 Orica House in 2007 | |
 | |
General information | |
Architectural style | International style |
| Location | 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, 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 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | 81 metres, 20 floors |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bates Smart McCutcheon |
Official name | Orica House (formerly the ICI Building) |
| Type | Historic |
| Criteria | a, f |
| Designated | 21 September 2005 |
| Reference no. | 105747 |
Official name | ICI House |
| Type | Commercial |
| Reference no. | VHR H0786 |
| HO165[1] | |
Category | Commercial |
Orica House (formerly ICI House) is a 19-storey office building at 1 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.[2] Begun in 1955 to house the headquarters of the Australian subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries (since spun off as an independent public company and renamed Orica), it was the tallest building in Australia upon completion in 1958.[1] It broke Melbourne's longstanding 132 ft height limit and was the first International Style skyscraper in the country.[3] It symbolised progress, modernity, efficiency and corporate power in post-war Melbourne, and heralded the construction of high-rise office buildings, changing the shape of Australia's major urban centres forever.[citation needed]
The building's design, by Osborn McCutcheon (of Bates Smart McCutcheon) was closely modelled on the best of corporate design being pioneered in the United States with all-glass high-rises such as the United Nations Secretariat Building. Detail and documentation of the building's design was managed by Douglas Gardiner who was a partner of BSM.[4][5]
Soon after construction, panes of the coloured glass shattered and fell to the street below due to impurities and the heat of Melbourne's summers.[6]
Orica House was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 21 March 1990 for its architectural significance to the state of Victoria.[1] On 21 September 2005, Orica House became the first post-war office building to be added to the Australian National Heritage List.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "ICI House, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H0786, Heritage Overlay HO165". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ↑ Saunders, Lindsay (3 November 2023). "Australia's First Skyscraper Changes Hands". www.theurbandeveloper.com. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ↑ "Australian National Heritage listing for the ICI Building". Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
- ↑ Architectural Heritage of the 20th century Archived 2014-02-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ↑ Melbourne's bold leap upwards: the inside story of Australia’s first skyscraper The Guardian 7 September 2016
- ↑ When the price is too good The Age 24 February 2008
- ↑ "First Modern Skyscraper". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- Office buildings completed in 1958
- Office buildings in Melbourne
- Places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the City of Melbourne
- Australian National Heritage List
- International Style architecture in Australia
- East Melbourne
- Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
- 1958 establishments in Australia
