Save Our Sirius: John Dunn

In the 1970s, a series of union Green Bans in Sydney's historic Rocks neighbourhood saved many colonial Georgian and Victorian buildings from demolition. At the same time, tenants of public housing in the area were relocated to a new and visionary apartment complex called Sirius, constructed out of modular concrete sections - a style that came to be known as Brutalism - designed by the architect Tao Gofers, and which not only provided affordable housing, but also encouraged a sense of community. In April 2017, when Sirius was threatened with demolition, a campaign to save it was being led by the Sirius Foundation. Hamish Robertson, of the Sydney Forum for Architecture & Urban design, spoke to a member of the Sirius Foundation, John Dunn.