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Architect Harry Seidler dies at 82
Thursday Mar 9 12:53 AEDT
Renowned architect Harry Seidler has died in his Sydney home, aged 82.

Mr Seidler died at his Killara home on Thursday morning, close friend and business associate John Hurst said.

His death followed a massive stroke last April, Mr Hurst said.

"He had a very severe stroke and he never recovered," Mr Hurst said.


A statement from his family is expected soon.

Born in Vienna in 1923, Mr Seidler came to Australia from the United States in 1948.

He is recognised as one of Australia's leading architects of the modern movement.

In Australia and overseas, he has designed many important residential and commercial buildings, introducing new ideas and construction techniques.

He is also credited with making a major contribution to the architecture of Sydney, including the Australia Square building in the CBD.

He was awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Gold Medal in 1976 and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Gold Medal in 1996.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma has paid tribute to Mr Seidler.

Mr Seidler had been "an outstanding Australian," Mr Iemma said.

"The architecture profession and Australian design face a very sad loss with the passing of Harry Seidler.

"His contribution in architecture and design is renowned throughout the world," Mr Iemma said.

"(He had) a record of achievement and contribution to the field of architecture and design that is unparalleled."









 
Mar 8, 06 9:50 pm
dia

RIP. Mr Seidler.

Mar 8, 06 9:53 pm  · 
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dia

Death of iconic architect Harry Seidler is sad loss for Australia: RAIA

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Harry Seidler will be remembered as one of Australia’s greatest talents and an iconic architect of unparalleled vision, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) said today. RAIA National President Bob Nation said his death is a sad loss, not just for Australia but the world.

The high profile and often controversial architect died in Sydney overnight after a difficult period following his stroke last year. Over the past 57 years he has designed major award-winning buildings in Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and regional centres, as well as others offshore in Europe, South America and Asia.

“Harry was a modernist master, like his teachers and mentors Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto and Oscar Niemeyer,” Mr Nation said. “He studied and worked with the best in the world and brought that knowledge and skill with him to Australia. As a result, he has had a lasting and profound affect on Australian architecture from his arrival here in the late 1940s. That influence will live on in his buildings for many years to come and through those architects he mentored.”

“Harry’s buildings have changed the Sydney skyline in particular - Australia Square, the MLC Centre, Grosvenor Place, the 43-storey Horizon Apartments, the Cove apartments, the Capita Centre, and the controversial Blues Point Tower. Love them or hate them, they are an intrinsic part of the Sydney that we all know and appreciate.”

Overseas, Mr Seidler is known for the Australian Embassy in Paris, the Hong Kong Club and Offices, a community for 2,500 people in Vienna, as well as buildings in Acapulco and New York.

“Since 1948, Harry has amassed a body of built works that is highly respected by the profession,” Mr Nation said. “Along the way he has collected more than 40 architecture awards, including five RAIA Sir John Sulman Medals and four RAIA Wilkinson Awards in Australia, the Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Australia’s top architecture prize – the RAIA Gold Medal in 1976. His influence in shaping the architects and the architecture of Australia, through his role as a pioneer and advocate of the modernist movement, has been hugely significant


Mar 8, 06 9:55 pm  · 
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RIP. Mr Seidler.

Mar 8, 06 10:05 pm  · 
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