David Surrey Gibson Littlemore AO (24 June 1910 – 10 September 1989) was one of Australia's most distinguished

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s. Littlemore was one of the first life fellows of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. He was head of construction supervision in the consortium Hall Todd & Littlemore appointed by the NSW Government Architect to complete the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

in April 1966 when Mr Jørn Utzon resigned his commission from the NSW Government. Peter Hallbr>
was design architect and Lionel Todd was responsible for contract documentation.

Career

Littlemore's career began with the design of a Sugar cane mill, sugar mill in his home town of

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

when he was 14, followed by study and design work with

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Mr Emil Sodersten. He became a partner in Rudder, Littlemore, and Rudder, which won a Royal Institute of British Architects' Bronze Medal for the Qantas Building located at 1 Chifley Square in Sydney's CBD. "Qantas House" was added to the New South Wales Government State Heritage Register.

Improvisation and Design Skills

Littlemore was known for his ability to improvise solutions and to resolve complex design problems. In New Guinea in the 1950s he built aircraft maintenance hangars by stringing cables between trees and suspending roofs from them.

Design & Construction of the Sydney Opera House

Littlemore was in charge of construction in the Hall, Todd, and Littlemore consortium that was responsible for the design and construction of the

from 1966 until the building was completed in 1973.

Later years

Littlemore served for 10 years on the Council of

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

and was made an officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1979. He died in Longueville in Sydney's north shore in 1989.

References

Architects from Queensland Officers of the Order of Australia 1910 births 1989 deaths People from Bundaberg {{Australia-architect-stub