Robert Harold Dickson (8 April 1926 – 8 April 2014) was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n architect. His many works contributed greatly to various aspects of South Australian architecture, ranging from conservation shelters to school buildings and residential projects. His most notable works are former premier,

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

's residence, the first townhouses in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

's Union House. He was described by Don Dunstan as the "premier architect". Whilst he spent the majority of his life practising in South Australia, he did work for a

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

-based Italian firm, Mangiarotti and Morasutti, for less than a year. He was also employed at Fry, Drew, Drake and Lasdun in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for a short time directly afterwards. Firms bearing his name in Adelaide were Dickson and Platten (1958-1973), Robert Dickson and Associates (1973-1990) and Robert Dickson Architects (1990-2014). He also wrote articles on architecture for

local newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

s and was a tutor at the University of Adelaide Faculty of Architecture and Planning. He published an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

entitled ''Addicted to Architecture''.

Early life

Robert Harold Dickson, born on 8 April 1926, grew up in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

, a place he describes as a "compelling urban paradise".Dickson, Robert. ''Addicted to Architecture''. Wakefield Press, 2010, p. 4. He attended Christ Church School from age 4 to 11 and Adelaide High for secondary education, where he met his wife, Lilian. After graduating from high school in 1943, he enlisted to become a pilot at 17 years old. Throughout his life, he was obsessed with the theory of flight and joining the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) was a realisation of that boyhood passion. When his programme was abandoned and flight training ceased in May 1945, he was co-opted into the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

to work in Air Transport Command. (He did not fly again until 48 years later when an opportunity to pilot a restored

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

at Noarlunga arose.) Shortly thereafter, he applied to be discharged (as was allowed for RAAF aircrew who wanted to take up tertiary training) and was flown back to Adelaide when the application was accepted. Although he had applied, he had no idea what educational path he wanted to go down. It was his father's suggestion of architectural training that was pivotal.

Architecture training and career

He started the architectural course in 1946. His architectural course was based on the Beaux Arts model, a system he disagreed with and tried to rebel against in his student assignments. He began designing his first house in 1949 when still a student, and the project became a major part of his studies. He took a year off to construct it in 1951. By the time it was habitable, he and Lilian were married. That house was still their home 57 years later. As a student, Dickson successfully applied for part-time work in the office Claridge, Hassell and McConnell where he was mentored by another student, Brian Claridge, and Ron Gunn, the associate. He and Claridge became close friends. After a few years, the firm split into Claridge and Gunn, and Hassell and McConnell, with Dickson going with the latter because of the projects he had been working on at the time. He continued at that office after he graduated, whilst participating in part-time post-graduate studies in City Planning and Illuminating Engineering. By 1954, Dickson was getting more and more dissatisfied with the direction contemporary architecture was taking, feeling that the post-war architecture was becoming stagnant and cliché. This was what prompted him to start looking at work being done in Europe, more specifically, Italy. A firm in Milan, Mangiarotti and Morassutti, granted him an interview. Robert and Lilian Dickson both went to Milan, stopping first in England to visit relatives and making their way from there. The two returned to Adelaide in 1957, and their son was born within weeks of their return. Dickson started his own practice, as well as taught part-time and wrote for the paper, before entering a partnership with Newell Platten that lasted from 1958 to 1973.

Architectural philosophy

Dickson shared a practical design philosophy which flat-out rejected the idea of architectural "style". It was based on principles that design should respond to the surrounding environment, respect human values, aspire to direct solutions to problems and integrate the parts in the simplest possible form. His work displays a sensitive relationship to site, intuitive use of materials and care about design and craftsmanship. Dickson's work revolves around sustainable design and environmental concerns, which filters into his architecture, from construction methods and materiality to the extensive involvement with the local community.

Selected works

* The Arkaba Projects (1950) * Dickson House,

Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearby. ...

, Adelaide (1957–67) * Linked Town Houses, North Adelaide (1966) * Mylor Youth Camp, Mylor (1969) * Adelaide University Union Redevelopment (1967–75) * Architect's Office, North Adelaide (1970) * Hackney Neighbourhood Renewal, Hackney (1971) * Cluster houses for West Lakes,

West Lakes West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

(1972) * West Lakes Primary School, West Lakes (1972) * Whyalla Sports Complex,

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

(1974) * Proposed town centre for Monarto (lead draftsman), Monarto (1975) * Regency Park Golf Club Clubhouse, Regency Park (1978) * Water Treatment Plant, Morgan (1981) * Old Gum Tree Conservation Shelter,

Holdfast Bay The Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to Adelaide, South Australia. Along its shores lie the local government area of the City of Holdfast Bay and the suburbs of Glenelg and Glenelg North European settlement on Holdfast Bay ...

(1984) * Extensions for Art gallery of South Australia, Adelaide (1990) * Office building for Associated Securities Limited, Adelaide * Salisbury Civic Centre,

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

(1975) * Munno Para Civic Centre, Munno Para * Premier Don Dunstan residence * East Torrens Civic Centre, East Torrens * Meadows Civic Centre, Meadows

Firms and partnerships

* Claridge, Hassell and McConnell (1948-1955) * Mangiarotti and Morasutti (1955-1956) * Fry, Drew, Drake and Lasdun (1956) * Robert Dickson (1957) * Dickson and Platten (1958-1973) * Robert Dickson and Associates (1973-1990) * Robert Dickson Architects (1990-2014)

Awards

* RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Arkaba Hotel * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Linked Town Houses, North Adelaide * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Kathleen Lurnley Postgraduate College * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for House at Millswood * RAIA (SA Chapter) Citation for Adelaide University Union Bookshop * RAIA (SA Chapter) Citation for Office Building for Associated Securities Ltd * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Union House, University of Adelaide * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Salisbury Civic Centre * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit for Hope Valley Water Treatment Plant Buildings * RAIA (SA Chapter) Award of Merit, Zelman Cowan Award, Adelaide City Council Commendation, and Adelaide Prize Commendation for Art Gallery of South Australia Extensions (in association with Peddle Thorp, Sydney office) * RAIA (SA Chapter) Inaugural 25 Year Award for Adelaide University Union Redevelopment * Civic Trust of SA 1977 Award for Salisbury Civic Centre * Civic Trust of SA 1978 Award for Hope Valley Water Treatment Plant * Civic Trust of SA 1978 Award for Housing Estate, West Lakes * Civic Trust of SA 1982 Award for Union House, University of Adelaide * Civic Trust of SA 1982 Award for Housing, Margaret Street, North Adelaide * Civic Trust of SA 1986 Commendation for Housing, Hackney * Civic Trust of SA 1988 Commendation for Morgan SA Water Treatment Plant * Civic Trust of SA 1988 Award for Conservation Shelter Old Gum Tree * Civic Trust of SA 1989 Commendation for Memorial Clock Tower * Civic Trust of SA 1997 Award for Art Gallery of South Australia

State heritage listings

Four buildings designed by Dickson have been listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

: * Union House, an addition to the Union Building Group, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide. * Kathleen Lumley College,

. * Dickson House, Rostrevor. *Dickson Beach House, Normanville.

References

* Royal Australian Institute of Architects. (1954) ''Year Book of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 1954: South Australian Chapter''. Milsons Point, N.S.W. * (1980) ''South Australian Biographies 1980''. Blue Book of South Australia : Biographies South Australia, Adelaide. * Apperly, R., Irving, R. and Reynolds, P. (1989) ''A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture'' Angus and Robertson, Sydney. . * Hurst, R. (2012) ''Dickson & Platten'' in Goad, P. and Willis, J. (eds) ''The encyclopaedia of Australian architecture'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. . * Page, M. (1986) ''Sculptors in Space: South Australian Architects 1836-1986''. RAIA (SA), Adelaide. * Royal Australian Institute of Architects. (1981) ''Architecture SA 1970-1980'', RAIA (SA Chapter), Adelaide. * Taylor, J. (1986) ''Australian Architecture since 1960''. Law Book Company, Sydney. . * University of Adelaide. (1974) ''The University of Adelaide Centenary 1874-1974''. University of Adelaide, Adelaide. * Walkley, G. (1976) ''The Louis Laybourne Smith School of Architecture & Building, South Australian Institute of Technology: A History, 1906-1976''. South Australian Institute of Technology, Adelaide. .