Enrico Taglietti - RAIA Gold Medal 2007
1. Media Release: RAIA Announces Top Architecture Prize Winner
2. Gold Medal 2006 Jury Citation
3. Gold Medal Winner’s Abridged Curriculum Vitae
4. Gold Medal Description and Past Winners
5. Gold Medal 2007 Tour Dates
An Italian-born, regionally-based architect who saw the Australian landscape with an immigrant’s “clear vision” and helped shape Canberra as it is today has been awarded Australia’s most prestigious architecture prize – the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Gold Medal for Architecture.
Announcing the honour at a ceremony in Canberra today, RAIA National President Carey Lyon said he was proud to announce that Enrico Taglietti has won the 2007 RAIA Gold Medal. Mr Taglietti is responsible for the creation over the past 50 years of a large range of residential projects in Canberra, as well as public and commercial works ranging from schools, ambassadorial buildings and motels. His work can also be found in Melbourne and Sydney.
In awarding the prize, Mr Lyon said the RAIA jury found: “Enrico Taglietti’s work is highly significant in Australian architecture, both for its individual character and for its regional base in Canberra – away from the large coastal cities of mainstream Australia.”
The jury also agreed that Mr Taglietti’s work “demonstrates the architectural story of an immigrant – seeing a new country with clear vision – and he continues an important tradition of successful immigrant architects, including Harry Seidler, Frederick Romberg and, more recently, Romaldo Giurgola.”
Awarded annually since 1960, the RAIA Gold Medal is the architectural profession’s highest accolade and recognises distinguished service by architects who have designed or executed buildings of high merit, or who have produced works of distinction resulting in the advancement of architecture. Recent past recipients include high profile architects such as Kerry Hill, Glenn Murcutt, Gregory Burgess, Keith Cottier, Brit Andresen and Peter Corrigan.
Enrico becomes the fourth ACT architect to win the Gold Medal, which went to John Andrews in 1980, Colin Madigan in 1981 and Romaldo Giurgola in 1988.
Mr Lyon said Mr Taglietti was born and educated in Milan before migrating to Australia in the late 1950s as a young architect, immediately seeing Australia as a place with the “sort of emptiness which was very conducive to creation”. His decision to settle in Canberra coincided with the emergence of the National Capital Development Commission, which began engaging prominent architects to progress Canberra’s growth. While most architectural practices in Canberra at that period were branch offices of Sydney or Melbourne firms, Mr Taglietti succeeded as the first Canberra-based practice of note and began to realise his dream of contributing to what he described as the “invisible city”.
His stylish buildings feature long horizontal flat roofs and balconies, sloping fascias and balustrades, battered walls, often incorporating sloping window reveals, and unpainted surfaces for texture and low maintenance. In a reference to his Italian heritage, his larger works employ the dramatic use of concrete. Well-known projects include the McKeown House in the ACT (1965), the Church of St.Anthony in Sydney (1965), the Dickson Library in the ACT (1969), the St.Kilda Library in Melbourne (1972), the Embassy of Italy Chancellery (1974) and Giralang Primary School and Preschool (1976), both in the ACT.
Mr Lyon said Mr Taglietti’s influence on Canberra architecture had been to “stimulate the intellect and eyes of those who know and admire his work”.
“The philosophic, aesthetic and form qualities of his creations are remarkable,” Mr Lyon said. “He is an outstanding architect of national significance, who has made a major contribution to the growth of the national capital.”
Mr Taglietti will tour Australia over the coming six months to speak on his experiences and architecture. The RAIA Gold Medal Tour is proudly sponsored by Armstrong. He will be speaking in Canberra on March 15; Melbourne on April 20 during the RAIA National Conference; Sydney on April 26; Brisbane on May 2; Hobart on August 2; Darwin on August 16; Adelaide on September 18; and, Perth on September 20. He will also deliver a formal lecture, the AS Hook Address, at a date to be confirmed.
Examples of Enrico Taglietti’s work:
ACT
Public: Dickson Library; Australian War Memorial Annex; Nitrate Film Vaults; Latham Primary School; Flynn Primary School; Giralang Primary School; Apostolic Nunciature.
Commercial: Town House Motel and Noah’s Restaurant; Captain James Cook Hotel; Sundown Drive-In Theatre; Polish White Eagle Club; Boulevard Red and Blue Cinemas; Lyneham Motor Inn; Adam Motel
Residential: Packer House; McKeown House; Dingle House; Souillac House; Paterson House; Evans House; Wood House; Killen House; Green House; Gentle House & Tier House; Mijuscovic House; Booroomba Homestead; Embassy of Italy Ambassador’s Residence; Holt medium density housing.
NSW
Sydney: Smith House, West Pennant Hills; Dunmore Lang Apartments, Marsfield; Catholic Church of St.Anthony, Marsfield. Regional NSW: Town House Motel Young; Motel Hay; Town House Motel, Wagga Wagga.
VICTORIA
St.Kilda Library, Melbourne.
RAIA Gold Medal Jury 2007: RAIA National President Carey Lyon (Chair), RAIA Immediate Past President Bob Nation, RAIA 2006 Gold Medallist Kerry Hill, Kerstin Thompson and Robert Morris-Nunn.
For more information contact:
Trish Croaker on 0408 756 163 or at trish.croaker@raia.com.au ;
Kirsten Trengove on 0439 555 427 or at kirsten.trengove@raia.com.au
To discover more about the RAIA, log on to www.architecture.com.au
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