Centenary Pool [1959]

Birrell was Brisbane’s City Architect from 1955-61 and produced some of his most recognised civic work during this time. The Centenary Pool complex was designed for the City Council to commemorate a centenary of local government and thrust the nation’s swimming standard into a new Olympic era following victories at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. Birrell’s final design demonstrated a certain fluidity more in keeping with the works of Niemeyer or Seidler’s curvilinear structures, shying from the functionalist international style widely practiced in Australia during towards the middle of the century. Heritage listed in 1996, the Centenary Pool stands as a testament to the inventive, sculptural design of the period.