Context

Context

The Definition of context found online [1]

1. The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

2. The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting.

The High Court is the highest court in the Australian judicial system. Harry Seilder’s competition entry for the building was not the winning design, but would have been a building that stands out in the context of its environment and in the context of the user. The functions of the High Court are to interpret and apply the law of Australia; to decide cases of special federal significance including challenges to the constitutional validity of laws and to hear appeals, by special leave, from Federal, State and Territory courts. [2]

Located at Canberra Australia’s capital city The High Court is bound within the grand plan of Walter Burley Griffin’s intended vision, placed on the waters edge of Lake Burley Griffin. The building design would have stood out in the intended site. The relation to its environment wouldn’t have sympathetic nor would it have been a natural transition from the surrounding buildings and the local landscape, but yet it would have been appropriate to the context of its use. Harry Seilder design of all concrete façade with low windows have a castle or fortress feel to it, being 4 to 5 stories high it can only be outrageously large in size. Similar building designs of Seilder have been adopted, The Trade Group Office in Canberra use the concrete beams that span the lengths of the building and are used across each level. The use of concrete canals carved out in the ceiling is used at the MLC building which is a design feature of the High Court. The building would have been a daunting journey to the concrete fortress to get the final judgement.

The context of the building to the user is the design intention of the building layout. When you enter the building you are placed in a large open gallery space, flooded with natural light through the large dome skylight. The feel would be that you have entered the place of powerful people. The rooms are split into one main room and 2 smaller rooms in with the triangular master plan of Canberra.

In my opinion Place, Power, People is the order of context. The High Court of Australia is located at the capital city opposite Parliament House, The Power as the highest court of Australian judicial system and the people that use this building.

Reference

[1] http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/context

[2] http://www.hcourt.gov.au/