Sirius building
in The Rocks, AustraliaCategory: Attraction
21 views 
0 shares 
0 comments
set bookmark!
Created/changed by:
System
Address details
48 Cumberland St, The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia Print route »
Phone & WWW
Business hours
Info
The Sirius building is an apartment complex in The Rocks district of Sydney, Australia. Designed in 1978-1979 by architect Tao Gofers, the building is a prominent example of Brutalist architecture in Australia. It has striking repetitive geometries in reaction to the Japanese metabolist architecture movement.It is notable for being the only high rise development in The Rocks. Sirius houses 79 apartments with one, two, three or four bedrooms, generally with single storey apartments to two and three storey walk ups. It is included in the #SOSBrutalism database at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt, Germany.
The complex was built to rehouse public tenants who had been displaced after a controversial redevelopment of the historic Rocks suburb during the 1960s and 70s. The building housed many of the original residents who fought for their right to remain in the area during the famous Green bans, whose purpose was not to retain heritage buildings but rather to retain the working class community in The Rocks. Ironically many of the buildings remain, but the majority of the residents were moved into the Sirius apartments in the so-called 'people's plan'. The terraces and town houses they used to call home are owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA), who receive rent from the tenants living in the building.
Anecdotally, unit 74 of the Sirius building became somewhat of an unofficial Sydney landmark; its sign displaying ‘One Way! Jesus’ clearly visible to Harbour Bridge commuters. The sign was in place for around 10 years, although the owner of the sign, Owen McAloon, and his motivations to spread a Christian message remained generally unknown.
Since 2015, the Sirius Building has been at the centre of controversy over plans to remove the residents, sell off the building and possibly redevelop the site, with opponents of the plans seeking to secure its protection as a heritage building.
