Sirius documents one of Australia's most contested Brutalist buildings — Sydney's public housing tower above The Rocks — tracing the social battles that created it and the political forces that threatened to erase it.
About This Book
Built in the wake of the 1970s Green Ban movement that saved The Rocks from demolition, Sirius was designed by architect Tao Gofers as a vertical village for a displaced inner-Sydney community. This book tells that full story: the grassroots labour activism, the architectural ambition, and the building's second fight for survival when the New South Wales Government moved to sell it to developers in 2015. Equal parts architectural history and social document, it captures the voices of residents, advocates, and professionals who rallied behind the Save Our Sirius campaign — making the case that public housing and Brutalist architecture are inseparable from questions of community and belonging.
Key Features
- 96 pages of architectural photography, community portraiture, and social history
- Authors: John Dunn, Ben Peake, and Amiera Piscopo
- Features architect Tao Gofers on the design and negotiation behind Sirius
- Published by Piper Press, 2015
What You'll Discover
- How the 1970s Green Ban movement directly shaped the design brief and site of Sirius, linking labour history to architectural form
- Tao Gofers's account of designing a vertical village for public housing — the planning logic, community intentions, and constraints of the era
- The political and commercial pressures that placed Sirius at risk in 2015, and what the Save Our Sirius campaign revealed about heritage advocacy in Australia
- The individual stories of Millers Point, Dawes Point, and The Rocks residents whose lives were bound to the building's fate
About the Author
Sirius is co-authored by John Dunn, Ben Peake, and Amiera Piscopo and published by Piper Press. [Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 96
- Dimensions: 17.5 x 22.5 x 6 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780980834758
- Publisher: Piper Press
- Publication Date: 2015
Perfect For: Architects and historians interested in Australian Brutalism, social housing policy, and heritage advocacy; anyone who followed the Save Our Sirius campaign or wants to understand The Rocks beyond its tourist surface.