Thursday Wiki - Council House

Built in a modernist style, the building has been the subject of vigorous public debate about its heritage value. Some consider the building to be an important example of modernist architecture, whilst others consider it ugly. These conflicting views led to animosity in the 1990s, when the State Government refused to heritage list the property and recommended its demolition. Despite this, the City of Perth opted to renovate and keep it as its headquarters. Following this, the building WAS admitted to the State's Heritage Register.

Some Stats:
Completed: 1963
Cost: £1.5million
13 Storeys

With the news that Perth would be hosting the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Perth City Council in 1959 launched an international competition to design its new building. The brief in the competition was to design a "creative building that marked where Perth was at the time" and have the building ready in time for the opening of the Commonwealth Games.

The building was not completely finished by the time Perth hosted the Commonwealth Games in November 1962, however the builders rushed to finish the ground, eighth and 10th floors in time so that foreign dignitaries could be entertained in the reception areas. Following the Games, the fit-out of the building was finished in March 1963, and on 25 March 1963 Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Council House, unveiling a 2.4-metre tall ceremonial plaque set in granite from the original 1817 Waterloo Bridge in London.

The building continued to serve as the headquarters for the Perth City Council from its completion until 1994, when it was vacated to allow for the removal of asbestos. Significant public debate ensued about whether the building should be kept. Despite the recommendation for demolition, in late 1995 the Councillors of the newly-formed City of Perth had a feasibility study carried out into whether Council House could be refurbished. The study indicated that the building could be economically refurbished, and in December 1996 the Council unanimously agreed to press ahead with refurbishment plans, removing its asbestos and building an underground car park at the rear of the site. The decision to refurbish was helped by the fact that interest rates at the time were so low that it was cheaper to service a loan than to pay rent.

The new 95-bay car park at the rear of the building required the removal of a New Zealand Kauri Pine estimated to be up to 150 years old, and was described as a "disgrace" which would undermine the heritage value of the precinct. The building was "stripped back to bare bones" and the tiny tiles coating the building's distinctive "T"-shaped fins were removed, repaired and re-glued to the surface. The refurbishment also involved the construction of a new "Lord Mayoral space and reception area" on the eleventh floor (formerly a plant level), the full enclosure of the ground floor (which had previously been partially open to the elements) and the replacement of gold Venetian blinds which had been a feature of the building in the past.

The building has divided the public over the years, with some branding the building an "eyesore" and a "hideous folly", whereas others considered it a "classic example of 1960s architecture and an important reminder of Perth's past" and a "unique building".

More recently, the outside of the building was fitted with over 22,000 LED lights which was officially turned on on 7 April 2010. The LEDs located on the roof, "T" window structures and bulkheads are able to be individually computer controlled and coloured. The lights were installed at a cost of $1.08 million.
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