Anthony Parsons recently won the AIA NSW Design Medal for his design of The Iron Blow, an astronaut training centre set in an abandoned copper mine in Tasmania.
A University of Newcastle Masters of Philosophy and PhD student, his work also received a commendation in the AIA Digital Innovation Prize and a commendation in the national BlueScope Steel Glenn Murcutt Prize in March this year.
Architecture & Design spoke to Parsons about the astronaut training centre, being an architect in the former steel city and why Newcastle in NSW has so much potential.
Can you tell A&D about your design of the astronaut training centre?
The Iron Blow is a destination in Tasmania that humans momentarily inhabit to prepare their journeys into outer space. While occupying this place, one experiences the fundamental barriers that accompany outer space travel, including the physical, psychological and temporal constraints that the universe exerts upon the human race.
The project was initiated with the fascination of the handmade space suits that were developed for the space race in the 1970s. As the project developed, the project became a poetic response to the uncanny damaged beauty of the site – an abandoned copper mine destroyed by human consumption.
Newcastle has a mixed history when it comes to architectural design. What do you think of the way design is being approached in the city now?
Newcastle has come a long way from the ‘steel city’ image most people think of when the city is mentioned. With initiatives such as Renew Newcastle, it has opened a huge door of creativity bursting at the seams with potential. There are many talented designers in Newcastle who have chosen to stay after graduating or have come back after living in the major cities to bring up their families – Newcastle is too good to leave behind!
What do you think needs to be changed in the area?
Newcastle has so much potential – especially in the city centre. The constant political rabbling on what to do with the city centre is holding back what could be a vibrant city full of people. The people running the town need to look at what is already in the city and make decisions on what to do with it, rather than masterplanning and dreaming big urban changes with strategies that really never work.
There are so many beautiful empty buildings that can’t be occupied for silly technical reasons. I’ve been a victim of this and now the space is empty and disused. The liquor licence and curfew debacle needs to stop too – there are so many little bars and restaurants that are waiting for licences but can’t obtain one, which ends up with more empty spaces and nothing for us youths to do!
What type of architecture would you like to specialise in when you finish your degree?
I guess for most architects I would love to one day have a small collaboration with likeminded people and create beautiful spaces and places, whether that be houses or small public projects.
What has been the most challenging aspect of your degree?
The most challenging aspect of getting to where I am now was time management and learning how to manage the work/student/life balance. It’s been a bit of a challenge now to learn to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday life, and I can see how the hard work and long hours can easily transfer into real life practice. Relax and live!
Which architect do you admire?
Right now I am slightly obsessed with Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. His process and the way he detailed and used materials is quite remarkable. Locally I really admire the work and thinking of Peter Stutchbury. It was a real privilege as a student to have himself as well as Rick Leplastrier on hand on a weekly basis to sit down and talk about anything and everything.
