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The Melbourne architect has quietly earned an international reputation for his environmentally sensible and culturally sensitive work. For two decades, his firm has produced award-winning schools, community buildings, health and cultural centers, houses, and churches. These works are characterized by bold exteriors, curvaceous interiors, and integration with their physical and social contexts.

RAIA president David Parken, who announced the award, described these works as "rich with messages about nature, materials, and the fundamentals of dwelling, human interaction, and public space." He went on to quote the editor of Architectural Review (UK), Peter Davey.

Davey had written that Burgess was one of a select group of architects worldwide who are "trying to find ways in which human values can be expressed against the alienating and normative forces of the global economy" and "who tend the flame of hope and carry the lamp of truth in a world that seems increasingly to have no values other than profit and the market in its grossest form."

Among Burgess's best-known projects are Melbourne's Catholic Theological College; the Box Hill Community Arts Centre, the Eltham Library, Horsham Catholic Church of St Michael and St John, and refurbishment of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Honoring the Original Australians

Burgess has been widely praised for his work with and for indigenous Australians. Key projects include the Uluru Kata-Tjuta Cultural Centre in the Northern Territory, designed in collaboration with the Mutitjulu community in the World Heritage-listed Uluru National Park and the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in the Grampians, a collaborative design for five Aboriginal communities.

In the Melbourne newspaper, The Age, Beverley Johanson has reported on Burgess's knack for collaborating with clients. One example is his research for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre.

Johanson wrote: "Burgess spent a month with the Anangu people, drawing ideas in the sand and listening and watching as they explained their history and culture through stories, song, and dance. They said that he interpreted exactly what they wanted to get across." The result is a sinuous, undulating building that follows the contours of the sand dunes and wraps around a central courtyard.

Writing for the same newspaper, architect Tony Styant-Browne described Burgess's Brambuk Cultural Centre: "...he defined for a time an indigenous architectural style, characterized by curvilinear geometry, collaboration between the architect and zoomorphic shapes, "natural materials," and integration of local indigenous art."

Environmental Sensitivities

The firm Gregory Burgess Architects has also proactively pursued sustainable design. They describe themselves as responsive to both the technological challenge of ecologically sustainable development and the values at the core of the environmental movement.

This has kept them engaged in ongoing education and research. They foster relationships with suppliers of environmentally sustainable building materials and consultants who are expert in environmentally efficient systems. They also share their knowledge and experience through professional and client workshops, seminars, and publications.

Their approach to environmentally sensitive design begins with the fundamental decision as to whether an existing building should be reused, renovated, or replaced. The correct decision can lead to significant energy savings and waste reduction.

They work to provide facility managers the capacity to understand a building and control its energy consumption through feedback from individual elements, self-reporting building services systems, and the integration between various monitoring systems. This information allows energy use prediction and fine tuning as the building matures.

Burgess offers guidance for those who perhaps seek greater fulfillment through their profession: "Architecture is a social art and an environmental art, but can also be a healing art. That's not a new idea, but it's unusual in this day and age. If the world is fragmented and alienated, architecture should be nurturing it towards a dynamic balance and connectedness."

Gregory Burgess will be presented with the Gold Medal in July 2004. He will join the ranks of notable past recipients, including Keith Cottier, Jorn Utzon, Philip Cox, and Glenn Murcutt.   >>>

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The Twelve Apostles visitor amenities building, in Campbell National Park, Western Victoria, Australia, by Gold Medalist Gregory Burgess. Photo: Meinphoto Inside the Twelve Apostles visitor amenities building, Campbell National Park Victoria. Photo: Meinphoto Undulating with the landscape is the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Halls Gap, Grampians National Park, Western Victoria. Photo: Meinphoto Inside the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Photo: Meinphoto Burraworrin Residence, Flinders, Victoria. Photo: Meinphoto Inside the Burraworrin Residence, Flinders, Victoria. Photo: Meinphoto Stairwell in the Catholic Theological College. Photo: John Gollings The Catholic Theological College in Melbourne incorporates an existing 19th-century bluestone building. Photo: John Gollings   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.