Orica House

1 Nicholson St. (formerly ICI House) is a 19-storey office building in Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 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. It broke Melbourne's longstanding 132 ft height limit and was the first International Style skyscraper in the country.[1] It symbolised progress, modernity, efficiency and corporate power in postwar Melbourne, and heralded the construction of the high-rise office buildings, changing the shape of Australia's major urban centres forever.

Orica House
General information
Architectural styleInternational style
Town or city1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne
CountryAustralia
Coordinates37°48′32″S 144°58′24″E
Construction started1955
Completed1958
ClientImperial Chemical Industries
Technical details
Structural system81 meters, 20 floors
Design and construction
Architect(s)Bates Smart McCutcheon

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-rise such as the United Nations headquarters. Detail and documentation of the building's design was managed by Douglas Gardiner who was a partner of BSM.[2][3]

The building made headlines soon after construction as panes of the coloured glass shattered and fell to the street below due to impurities and the heat of Melbourne's summers.[4]

It is one of the few post-war office buildings to be found on the Victorian Heritage Register, and the first to be added.[5]

References
  1. "Australian National Heritage listing for the ICI Building". Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  2. Architectural Heritage of the 20th century Archived 2014-02-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  3. Melbourne's bold leap upwards: the inside story of Australia’s first skyscraper The Guardian 7 September 2016
  4. When the price is too good The Age 24 February 2008
  5. "ICI House, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H786, Heritage Overlay HO165". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria.
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