Christopher Kringas (1936—1975) was an Australian architect. He is best known as the architect of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

. The son of Greek migrants to Australia, Kringas grew up in

Orange, New South Wales Orange is a city in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney on a great circle at an altitude of . Orange had an urban population of 41,920 at the 2021 Australia Census, 2021 Cens ...

before studying architecture at the

University of NSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

. He received the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 'Outstanding Graduating Student' prize in 1959, then traveled to Europe and worked at the London County Council Architect's Department – seen as the "melting pot" of the

New Brutalism Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

movement in architecture and an incubator of seminal postwar architects. Kringas returned to Sydney in 1962 and worked briefly at Budden Nangle & Michael architects, designing the Cockle House. In 1964, he joined the firm of Edwards Madigan Torzillo Briggs and, with the firm's senior director Colin Madigan, designed a series of significant Australian architectural works: the Dee Why Library; the Warren Library; Australian National Gallery Winning Competition Design; the Mitchell College Student Residences; and the

Warringah Civic Centre The Warringah Civic Centre is a landmark civic building in Dee Why, New South Wales, Dee Why, a suburb of Sydney. It stands in the centre of Dee Why, along Pittwater Road. Designed in the Brutalist style by Christopher Kringas and Colin Madigan, ...

. These innovative and acclaimed designs marked a new direction for the firm, distinct from its earlier orthodox Modernist productions. In 1966, Kringas was made an associate and in 1972 he became a director of the firm. Over the same period, Kringas produced a body of original solo works for private clients, including the Citroën Workshop, the J Kringas House and the Stevens House – described as an "individual masterwork". From 1972 to 1974, Kringas designed the High Court of Australia, leading the team of Feiko Bouman, Rod Lawrence and Michael Rolfe (architects) and Aldis Birzulis (structural engineer), to win the open national competition. In 1973, the ''National Times'' described Kringas alongside

Harry Seidler Harry Seidler (25 June 19239 March 2006) was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauh ...

and John Andrews as the "best and brightest" of Australian architects. In March 1975, Kringas died of

bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

– 12 days before the construction of the High Court began – aged 38. Director and close friend Hans Marelli oversaw the faithful execution of Kringas's design. The High Court as constructed is virtually identical to the winning competition design. A plaque in the public hall commemorates Kringas's role as the designer of the High Court. J Kringas House 1967

Designs

* Cockle House, Hunters Hill NSW Australia – 1962 (with Budden Nangle & Michael architects) * Citroën Workshop, Forrestville NSW Australia – 1966 * Dee Why Library, Dee Why NSW Australia – 1966 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) * J Kringas House – Killarney Heights NSW Australia – 1967 * Warren Library, Warren NSW Australia, 1968 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) * Australian National Gallery Winning Competition Design, Canberra ACT Australia – 1968 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) * Stevens House – Richmond QLD Australia – 1969 * Mitchell College Student Residences, Bathurst NSW Australia – 1970 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) *

, Dee Why NSW Australia – 1970 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) * Lend Lease Urban Development (unbuilt) - Perth WA Australia - 1970 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) *

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, Canberra Australia – 1971 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs) *

, Canberra ACT Australia – Design 1972 to 1974, Construction 1975-1980 (with Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Briggs)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kringas, Christopher 1975 deaths Brutalist architecture in Australia Brutalist architects Architects from Sydney Australian people of Greek descent People from Orange, New South Wales 20th-century architects Greek-Australian culture in Sydney 1936 births Deaths from colorectal cancer University of New South Wales alumni