The idea of a culture

Background: The work of the AIA Gold Medal Winning practice Edmond & Corrigan has made a significant contribution to architecture in Melbourne through a series of significant public buildings including Building 8, RMIT University, Newman College, Victorian College of the Arts Drama School as well as through Peter Corrigan’s set and costume design. Despite this there have been relatively little scholarship around Edmond & Corrigan or the influence of Corrigan on architectural design through his over 40 years of teaching at RMIT where some of the most celebrated architectural designers in Australia completed his design studios. Contribution: This writing is primary research that contributes new knowledge on the influence of the work of Edmond & Corrigan through Corrigan’s architectural projects and practice. It identifies key concepts from Corrigan which later became a sensibility that influenced the leadership of an architecture school. The premise of the work is that the influence of Edmond & Corrigan is not a stylistic one – as “influence” is often written about in architectural design – but an influence of ideas and concepts. This work discusses what the influence is, through the examination of Mitsogianni’s projects, practice, teaching and leadership in architectural pedagogy. This is a contribution to knowledge in the discipline that addresses a gap in the field. Significance: The paper includes primary research material – previously unpublished notes from Corrigan from a speech he gave in his final design studio – which was made available to the author by Matthew Corrigan (Corrigan’s son). The book in which the work was published was 1 of 6 publications shortlisted for an Australian Institute of Architects 2020 publication award. The work was selected for publication by a steering group comprised of well-known academics and practitioners in the field, and sits alongside those of similarly high regard.