The national symbolism of Australian Parliament House is embodied in the materials of its construction. The finished build incorporated a wide range of Australian stone and timber, which transformed the new building under the hands of many skilled craftspeople.
In 1980, Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp were appointed as the architects for a new Parliament House. In a 1982 paper accompanying a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Billy Sneddon, architect Romaldo Giurgola wrote that one aspect of conveying an ‘all-pervasive sense of excellence’ in the new Parliament building would rest on ‘the love of and proximity to the natural materials of the land’.
In 1983, the Parliament House Construction Authority (PHCA), commissioned 24 artists to produce a photographic record of the construction between 1984 and 1986. In their commissions, two of these photographers, Jillian Gibb and Anthony Green, photographed the natural landscapes from which the new building's materials would be sourced. These photographs document the essential link between the Australian environment and the refined architecture and craftsmanship of Australian Parliament House.
Explore the stone and timber thoughtfully used throughout Parliament House.
Carmina Grey
Anthony Green (born 1952), Inspecting granite, Eugowra, New South Wales, 1984, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection
Carmina Grey is a granite containing three major minerals: glassy quartz, white and pink feldspars and dark biotite formed during the Late Palaeozoic Era during an intense period of geological formation for eastern Australia.
The Parliament House Carmina Grey granite came from quarries in Eugowra, central NSW and make up the central interior curved walls of Parliament House. This stone can also be found in the inner courtyard stepping-stones, benches, and interior water features and fountains.
AUSPIC, Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliament of Australia.
Huon pine
Anthony Green (born 1952), Huon pine, Picton River, Tasmania, 1985, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection.
Huon pine (Lagarostrobos) is highly prized for its fine grain, golden or light-yellow colour, and natural oils that resist rotting. The trees can grow to a height of 20 metres.
The Huon pine used in Parliament House was from the Huon Valley and Picton River in southern Tasmania. Tasmanian furniture designer/maker Kevin Perkins AM worked closely with the architects for more than four years. Romaldo Giurgola travelled to Perkins’ studio in Tasmania and together they visited the forests that would supply the timber for sculptural wall panelling, special furniture and door veneers throughout the four rooms of the Prime Minister’s Suite.
Silver ash
Jillian Gibb (1945-2017), Cudgerie - Flindersia schottiana, 1986, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection.
Cudgerie, Silver Ash or Bumpy Ash - Flindersia schottiana grows to approximately 36 metres in height. Due to its brown-pink finish it is primarily used as a building timber for flooring, furniture, and high-end joinery. The Cudgerie used in Parliament House came from the rainforests of East Coast Australia and is used in the commissioned marquetry by Tony Bishop and Michael Retter in the Marble Foyer and Cabinet Suite.
Silky oak
Jillian Gibb (1945-2017), Silky Oak – Grevillea robusta, 1986, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection.
Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta) grows in subtropical and dry rainforests. The hardwood of the tree has a coarse texture and straight grain, with the heartwood a light to medium reddish brown with grey to light brown rays. The Silky Oak for Parliament House was sourced from southern Queensland ranges and as far south as Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. Silky Oak is used in the commissioned marquetry by Tony Bishop and Michael Retter in the Marble Foyer and Cabinet Suite.
Tony Bishop (born 1940) (designer), Michael Retter (born 1935) (maker), Austrobaileya scandens: one of twenty marquetry panels, 1986-1987, Art/Craft Program, Parliament House Art Collection.
Australian white cedar
