Misplaced Pages

Woods Bagot
Practice information
Founders	Edward John Woods Walter Bagot
Founded	1869 (1869)
Location	Adelaide, Brisbane, Auckland, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York, Perth, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney
Significant works and honors
Buildings	SAHMRI building, Adelaide National Australia Bank, Melbourne Docklands Qatar Science & Technology Park, Doha
Awards	Architects Journal AJ100 International Practice of the Year Award 2009 AIA Award for International Architecture 2009
Website
woodsbagot.com

Woods Bagot is a global architectural and consulting practice founded in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in the design and planning of buildings across a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. Former names of the practice include Woods & Bagot, Woods, Bagot & Jory; Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith; Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin; and Woods Bagot Architects Pty Ltd.

Founded in 1905, some of their most significant early work includes buildings at the University of Adelaide, including Bonython Hall and the Barr Smith Library. 21st-century projects include the Qatar Science & Technology Park, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and the SAHMRI building in Adelaide.

Woods Bagot is now established worldwide, with studios in five regions: Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. In 2015, the firm was named as the world's seventh largest architecture firm by employee count in Building Design magazine.

History

Woods Bagot's origins date back to 1869, when architect Edward John Woods was commissioned to improve and expand the design of St. Peter's Cathedral in Adelaide. In 1905 he joined forces with another prominent local architect, Walter Bagot, and the pair created Woods & Bagot.

Woods retired from the practice known as Woods, Bagot & Jory on 30 June 1915, and Louis Laybourne-Smith became a partner in the practice, causing the practice to be renamed Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith. Woods died in January 1916. Jory left to practise on his own and the practice was dissolved on 30 September 1930, with James Campbell Irwin (later Lord Mayor of Adelaide) joining the practice, now called Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin. Irwin was a senior partner in the firm from 1965 until he retired in 1974.

A summary of the practice's early names:

• 1905-1913: Woods & Bagot
• 1913–1915: Woods, Bagot & Jory
• 1915–1930: Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith
• 1930-1974: Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin

From 19 June 1974, the firm was registered firstly as Woods Bagot Architects Pty Ltd (until at least 1996), and subsequently as Woods Bagot Pty Ltd.

Current practice

In 2015, the firm was named as the world's seventh largest architecture firm by employee count in Building Design magazine's World Architecture 100 list.

As of 2021, Woods Bagot has offices in Waymouth Street, Adelaide; Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China; London; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE; Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in the US; and Singapore.

Architectural style

Inevitably for a firm with whose history spans more than a century, Woods Bagot has embraced a wide variety of architectural styles since its inception. Early Australian buildings such as Bonython Hall were built in the classical Gothic style popular at the time, but the firm's steady expansion into Asia, Europe and North America was accompanied by a corresponding shift in style and approach that embraced a variety of modern and progressive themes.

The firm's latest work is often inspired by the natural world. The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) building's exterior surface is inspired by a pine cone, for example, with a so-called 'living skin' designed for optimal passive solar performance. A new extension to the Adelaide Convention Centre, designed in association with American architect Larry Oltmanns, references local geological forms, in particular the distinctive colours and stratification of the South Australian landscape.

Some recent designs have focused on philosophical as well as environmental and geological themes. The design of the Nan Tien Institute in Wollongong, New South Wales, reflects Buddhist teaching principles, specifically avoiding hierarchical components and providing a neutral environment free of materialism and excess. A new bridge and plaza connecting the Institute to the nearby Nan Tien Temple complex has been designed as a practical, mixed-use focus point for community gatherings, as well as a notable development in its own right. Outside Australia, the Cubism-inspired Cubus, a 25-storey retail tower completed in Hong Kong in 2011, is equipped with geometric lighting panels that emulate the shapes and forms of ice cubes.

Accolades

Woods Bagot was named as the 2009 Architects' Journal AJ100 International Practice of the Year.

Notable projects

Woods Bagot has designed some landmark buildings throughout Australia and the world, including the following major architectural projects:

Early work

In 1915, Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith designed a recreation hall for the Keswick Repatriation Hospital in Keswick, which opened on 11 February 1916.

See also

• Architecture of Australia

References

1. "About Us - Architects". St Peter's Cathedral, Diocese of Adelaide, South Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
2. ^ "Architect Details: Bagot, Walter Hervey". Architects of South Australia. University of South Australia. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
3. "Advertising". The Advertiser. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Death of Mr. E. J. Woods". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. LIII, no. 15, 719. South Australia. 6 January 1916. p. 5 (5 o'clock edition. sports number). Retrieved 3 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Woods Bagot Collection" (PDF). Woods Bagot Series 187. Architecture Museum, University of South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2012. Note: Not all of the dates in this document are correct.
6. J. C. Irwin, Smith, Louis Laybourne (1880-1965), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, 1988, pp 656-657.
7. Bridget Jolly, Irwin, Sir James Campbell (1906-1990), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, Melbourne University Press, pp 576-577.
8. "Architect Details: Irwin, James Campbell". Architects of South Australia. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
9. Read, C. (April 1996). "Woods Bagot Architects Pty. Ltd: BRG 18: Preliminary Inventory" (PDF). State Library of South Australia.
10. "Woods Bagot Pty Ltd". Australian Securities & Investments Commission. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
11. Rule, Dan (8 January 2015). "Melbourne's Woods Bagot listed among world's top 10 architectural firms". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
12. "Contact". Woods Bagot. 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
13. Wang, Lucy. "SAHMRI's Striking Pinecone-Inspired "Living Skin" Uses Passive Solar Design in Australia". Inhabitat. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
14. "Expansion 2017". Adelaide Convention Centre. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
15. Johnson, Nathan (21 May 2014). "Buddhist philosophy inspires Woods Bagot design for Nan Tien Bridge and Plaza in Wollongong". Nan Tien Institute. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
16. "Woods Bagot breaks the ice". World Architecture News. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
17. Roberts, Jeff (15 June 2009). "Woods Bagot wins esteemed prize". ConstructionWeek Online. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
18. "Deakin Law School Building". WAN Awards. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
19. "Bodi Center". woodsbagot.com. Woods Bagot. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
20. Richards, Stephanie (11 January 2021). "Adelaide Contemporary architects help design Aboriginal Cultures Centre". InDaily. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
21. "Australian Institute of Architects 2009 National Architecture Awards". Australian Institute of Architects. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
22. Bevan, Robert (30 October 2009). "Off the plan". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
23. "AIA 2009 Architecture Awards announced". Australian Design Review. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
24. "Barr Smith library interior". SA Memory. State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
25. "History Of The Library - University Library". University of Adelaide. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
26. "Series 114: Library building correspondence 1959-79. (University of Adelaide Library Archives)". The University of Adelaide. Rare Books & Manuscripts. Retrieved 17 January 2021. Woods, Bagot, Laybourne –Smith & Irwin. Specification for alterations and additions to the Barr Smith Library for the University of Adelaide.
27. "For the wounded at Keswick". Chronicle. Vol. LVIII, no. 3, 000. South Australia. 19 February 1916. p. 41. Retrieved 3 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

• Woods Bagot website

• Architecture firms of Australia
• 1869 establishments in Australia