Hassell is a multidisciplinary
architecture, design and urban planning practice with offices in Australia, China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937/8 in
Adelaide,
South Australia, the firm's former names include Claridge, Hassell and McConnell; Hassell, McConnell and Partners; and Hassell and Partners Pty. Ltd.
They are particularly known for the
Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centr ...
complex, which opened in 1973.
History
Hassell was founded in Adelaide, South Australia in 1938.
From 1937, Colin Hassell worked with Philip R. Claridge and Associates, with Claridge, Hassell and McConnell being established as a partnership which included Jack McConnell. Hassell served in the
Australian Army during the
Second World War, resuming his place in the firm in 1945. After Claridge retired in 1949, the firm became Hassell, McConnell and Partners, and established offices in
Melbourne and
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. In 1962
John Morphett joined the practice, who was very influenced by the
Bauhaus and
modernist movements.
In the 1970s the firm became Hassell and Partners Pty. Ltd., with Hassell as Senior Principal and also Managing Director of the group. During this period, additional offices were opened in
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 ...
, Melbourne and
Perth.
Hassell and Partners Pty Ltd designed the Adelaide Festival Centre in 1970, with the
Adelaide Festival Theatre opened in 1973.
[ Said to be designed "from the inside out" by chief designer John Morphett, the complex has been "hailed as a major step forward in modern architecture in South Australia".][
In 2019, Hassell, then the second-largest design firm in Australia ( Woods Bagot, another Adelaide firm, being the largest), announced that they would be closing their Adelaide office upon completion of existing projects in 2021, so it could focus on larger urban centres.]
Accolades
In 2010 the firm was ranked the largest architecture company in Australia and the 25th largest in the world, and retained the Australian ranking for the following two years in the BD World Architecture 100 annual survey.[
The firm received ]Australian Institute of Architects
(United we advance architecture)
, predecessor =
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, status = Professional body; members association
, headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne
, leader_title = CEO
, leader_ ...
national awards for the Sydney Olympic Park railway station (1998), the VS1/SA Water building in Adelaide (2009), ANZ Centre in Melbourne's Docklands and the railway stations of the Epping to Chatswood railway line (2010).Australian Institute of Architects
retrieved 22 February 2011
Selected projects
The firm's first major project was the Art Deco building at 2 King William Street for the Bank of New South Wales.[
]
See also
* Architecture of Australia
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Architecture firms of Australia
Australian companies established in 1938
Design companies established in 1938