Giurgola : The Reluctant Master

Luigi Rosselli was recently invited to speak at a symposium, organised by Melbourne University, honouring the life and work of Aldo Giurgola. Celebrated in Australia for his work on New Parliament House in Canberra, the symposium sought to examine the life and work of the architect who practiced in Rome, Philadelphia and New York before emigrating to Australia to work in Canberra. It was during his time in New York that Luigi began work with Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, moving to Australia in 1981 to establish the office of Mitchell Giurgola & Thorpe for the New Parliament House project. Giurgola, turning 90 in September, would have flushed in embarrassment listening to presentations from academics from Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Baroda in India, and many major universities.