North Sydney MLC building added to state heritage register
By Bates Smart and McCutcheon, 105 Miller Street, North Sydney, 1954-1957

Docomomo International is pleased to announce that the MLC Building is now listed on the State Heritage Register. The Independent Planning Commission supported the Heritage Council’s recommendation to list the building and the Minister has concurred. However, as Scott Robertson, President of Docomomo Australia states, “whilst this battle has been won we now have to be vigilant when plans for the building’s refurbishment are submitted as the IPC report stated that substantial work could occur to the facades (even removal of fabric) and that the rear wing could be demolished if necessary.” To ensure that the heritage values of the…

Documentary about restoring the Unity Temple will soon be available for streaming
by Frank Lloyd Wright, Oak Park, Illinois, US, 1905-1908

“A new feature-length documentary film profiling the meticulous, Harboe Architects-led restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, will be available to stream for a limited time on Vimeo starting October 30. This special preview screening/fundraising period will conclude on November 15 with a panel discussion hosted by filmmaker Lauren Levine discussing the documentary and the momentous effort to preserve one of Wright’s most iconic early works for future generations. Virtual tickets for the film, titled Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece, cost $20 and include access to the Zoom-based panel. Narrated by Brad Pitt, Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modern Masterpiece dives into the rich history…

Shushtar New Town registered on Iranian National Heritage List
By Kamran Diba, Shushtar, Iran

Docomomo Iran shared with Docomomo International good news regarding the protection of a town that was started to be built in 46 years ago in Iran. The Shushtar New Town, a modern – but contextual – city in the southwest of Iran, in of Iran, which was under threat for some demolitions, now is registered on the Iranian National Heritage List. The Shushtar New Town was designed by the Iranian architect, Kamran Diba (1937-), and started to be built in 1974. It follows the traditional urban pattern of Iranian cities with an interwoven urban fabric and (mud)brick as construction material. This…

The renovation of the Maison des Sciences de l´Homme building in Paris
by Marcel Lods, Paris, 1968-1970. Renovation by François Chatillon and Michel Rémon, 2013-2017

The Maison des Sciences de l´Homme building, designed by Marcel Lods and built between 1968 and 1970, located at the corner of Boulevard Raspail and Rue Cherche-Midi, it forms a great contrast with the surrounding historical architecture. It is one of the most characteristic edifices of the French post-war modern movement, however it did not receive a protected status. This situation became highly problematic in 2010, when due to high asbestos use inside, the building was to undergo renovation. The renovation project was led by historic preservation architect François Chatillon, in association with Michel Rémon, and it produced a building that,…

West Wing of the Former Government Offices

In December 2012, after Docomomo International had issued a Heritage Alert (June 2012) in collaboration with ICOMOS, the Board of the Hong Kong Antiquities Authority classified the West Wing of the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong level 1, the highest grade under the Hong Kong legislation, and determined it would be retained for government use to house Department of Justice offices instead of being sold for a commercial development. “The three buildings in the Central Government Offices (CGO) Complex are all post-war buildings built in three phases with the East Wing completed in 1954; the Main Wing and Legislative Council…

Restoration of Frey House II

On 22nd October 2017, the Pal Springs Art Museum and the Modernism Week promoted a funds raise event to help support the ongoing restoration and operations of Frey House II. “The Frey House II appears to grow from the craggy rocks of the San Jacinto mountain overlooking Palm Springs, California. Architect Albert Frey spent years measuring the movement of the sun and the contours of the rocks before he selected the site for his modernist home. The house was completed in 1963. Widely praised as a landmark example of Desert Modernism, the Frey II house is now owned by the Palm Springs…

Dingleton Boiler House by Peter Womersley

“An Edinburgh based architect, Gordon Duffy has launched a website to save a Listed boiler house by Peter Womersely in the Scottish Borders. The boiler house, completed in 1977 has been lying empty and Duffy has won Listed Building consent and Planning consent for the adaptive reuse of the building, transforming it into five residential units. Not unlike the Bofill cement factory near Barcelona, the project uses the embodied energy in the structure to increase lifetime of the building. Stimulated by a love of the beautifully composed concrete structure, Duffy has used the rhythm of the structural bays as a…