By Bridget Spinks
Perth St Mary’s Cathedral architect Peter Quinn said winning the George Temple Poole award was “a great honour” and a “wonderful climax” in his career because the Cathedral is such a “major iconic public building”.
But to work on the project was “terrifying,” he said, “because the Cathedral is so well known and such a frequently visited building”.
Mr Quinn won three major honours at the WA Architecture Awards on 25 June: the George Temple Poole Award for best piece of architecture overall, the Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture and the Architecture Award for Heritage.
He said light and glass were two key elements used to connect the 1865 and 1930 parts of the Cathedral with the 2010 connection.
The gothic characteristics of the original 1865 building were carried through in subsequent additions and renovations up to 1930.
In the gothic architectural tradition and in Peter Quinn’s work, light is a key feature.
“I always like having light. I introduce as much controlled light as possible into any building I do. Many of the parish churches I do have a lot of glass and an indoor-outdoor connection.”
“The quantity of light coming in energises the interior of the building.”
Glass, the medium which transmits light, is prominent in St Mary’s, beginning with the glass front door showcasing metal filigree artwork and proceeding to the foyer where blue glass artwork hangs above the baptismal font. The font is also of glass.
In the centre of the Cathedral, the legs of the altar are of glass, as are the backdrops to the Stations of the Cross hanging in the Cathedral’s midsections. Coloured glass at the top edge of the tall windows in the 2010 addition and the prominent glass feature tabernacle screen are also part of the motif in the building.
Peter Quinn did not introduce the artificial coloured backlighting of the screen, but he did do the timberwork that forms its frame.
“I designed the shape of the timber screen to disguise the back access. There was a practical reason; it became the reservation chapel and needed a suitable backdrop for the tabernacle,” he told The Record last week.
The use of artificial coloured lighting around the tabernacle, which changes colours according to the liturgical calendar, was the preference of the artists Peter Bowles and Anne Clifton.
Since there was no natural light, the tabernacle screen required the introduction of artificial light.
When asked to comment on how he might try to create a sense of the divine when working on projects that involve creating prayer spaces, he said he tries to create a “mystique” through the architecture. “You try to invoke the transcendent. That’s why I use light. It’s a large space and I use light to create the focus on the altar. The aim is to create a beautiful space that is functional. It needs to be beautiful, otherwise it just becomes another community hall,” he said, adding – “beautiful without relying on the liturgical furnishings.”
Peter Quinn is originally from Melbourne but moved to Perth in the early 70s after spending some time working overseas. He has spent the last 32 years working on Catholic churches, schools and prayer spaces.
His first church was Sts John and Paul, Willetton and his second was Infant Jesus, Morley. His third project was the Chapel at Kolbe Catholic College, which he says is “almost his favourite apart from the Cathedral”.
Mr Quinn also designed the non-denominational worship centre at Murdoch University, St Bernadette’s parish church in Port Kennedy, St Vincent’s in Kwinana and reworked the existing church of Holy Family at Como.
St Emilie’s in Canning Vale, which officially opened two months ago, along with the entire school was Mr Quinn’s most recent project.
“A modern church should look like a modern church,” he told The Record.
“I was educated on the maxim that form follows function.”
Architecture Award for Heritage
Edited Jury comments
“St Mary’s Cathedral is a place of considerable cultural heritage significance. Since its foundation in 1865, the Cathedral has been the heart of diocesan worship for the Roman Catholic community in Western Australia and, located on a prominent hilltop, has remained a Perth landmark. It is important for its aesthetic contribution to the core of historic buildings at the eastern end of Murray Street and is the centrepiece of a concentrated group of historic Catholic buildings around Victoria Square.
“The earliest fabric dating from 1865 was significantly altered in 1905, whilst plans for a new Cathedral in 1923 were only partially realised, awaiting completion by future generations.
“The brief for the restoration and completion of St Mary’s Cathedral required that the place continue to serve contemporary liturgical needs, expanding its capacity whilst providing excellent sight lights and acoustic environment, and preserving as much as possible of the earlier sections of the building.
“The design approach to expand the original narrow nave with gently curving transparent walls, contrasting the solid masonry of the early forms, has created a new light filled interior and contemporary ambiance. The loss of portions of the 1865 nave is regrettable. However, the jury considered that in making the new work clearly identifiable and simultaneously uniting the earlier and highly significant fabric of the place, the architect has produced a commendable response to the challenging brief. Attention to detailing and finishes and interpretation of traditional ecclesiastical elements display sensitivity to the spirit of the place.”
Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture
Jury comments
“The jury found this project, the result of a limited design competition, to be an outstanding accomplishment in the realm of public architecture.
“The Cathedral and its grounds are open and welcoming to the city and its citizens. The architect’s design strategy of retaining the Cathedral in ‘a green square’ by carving out ground from beneath the building for other required facilities allows the maintenance of a delightful public park and a gathering place before and after services.
“The fragmented formations of the previous three stages developed over a period of 70 years have been skilfully bound together with great care and an exceptional level of detailing, the new work being simply and beautifully expressed.
“The planning approach achieved the required additional seating by changing the layout from a traditional linear nave to one in the round with the altar beneath the crossing.
“The realignment of entry sequences along Murray Street reconnects the axis of the Cathedral to that of the city and the layers of history, tradition, and construction are revealed in an excellent example of the application of the Burra Charter.
“St Mary’s Cathedral is a delightful masterwork of public architecture, which must be experienced.”
George Temple Poole Award
Jury comments
“The completion of St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth is a major civic work which has been lovingly executed by a sole practitioner. Such an endeavour over a considerable period has required a complete commitment to one project. Whilst the architect is to be congratulated for his dedication to the task, it is the excellent result that has been achieved that is recognised by the George Temple Poole Award.
“Approximately 50 years ago when the liturgy of the Catholic Church was revised, it was necessary for the spaces within the church to respond to that revision. In a striking way, the now completed St Mary’s Cathedral has achieved that requirement and has done so in a manner which has produced a ‘today’ facility, which has recognised yesterday.
“The finished building tells its own story through the superb detailing and sensitive relationship of the old to the new.
“In short, the project has captured the impact of the work by noting that St Mary’s Cathedral is a delightful masterwork of public architecture, which must be recognised.”