Sirius
John Dunn, Ben Peake and Amiera Piscopo
Piper Press
‘Sirius’ documents and celebrates Sydney’s controversial apartment complex; its architecture and social framework from the 1970s Battle for The Rocks to the 2017 Land and Environment Court overruling of the NSW Government’s refusal to acknowledge heritage significance.
Architect Tao Gofers provides insight into his Brutalist design and its construction illustrated by artist impressions, sketches and floor plans, as well as photographs of the building’s geometric façade and red lozenge-patterned carpet. Images of historical protests and social gatherings accompany the personal stories of former residents and their struggle to save their homes from sale and the redevelopment into 250 luxury apartments. The words of final evictee, 90-year-old Myra Demetriou, best describe their campaign of defiance; ‘I want to stay.’
