Architecture
Still standing
Sydney’s brutalist Sirius apartment block, which has divided opinion ever since it was designed in 1978, has been given a reprieve from demolition after a court reversed the verdict not to grant it heritage status. The boxy structure was to face the wrecking ball but the Land and Environment Court overturned the decision, to the relief of campaigners who have been battling to save it. After the ruling the campaign group – led by Australian Institute of Architects president Shaun Carter – promised to continue its battle to preserve the building. Recognition of its architectural merit as well as the importance of preserving spaces in the city for working-class citizens can only be a positive step in a country that has at times been slow to celebrate its modernist edifices.