Sir John Sulman Medal

Sir John Sulman

The medal is presented in memory of the Australian architect Sir John Sulman (29 August 1849–18 August 1934).^[1] Sulman was born in Greenwich, England, and emigrated to Sydney in 1885. From 1921 to 1924 he was chairman of the Federal Capital Advisory Committee and influenced the development of Canberra. Late in his life, Sulman personally established a fund to be administered by the Institute of Architects, to support the annual awarding of the Sulman Medal for the design of a building demonstrating exceptional architectural merit.^[2] The first award was presented in June 1934 shortly before Sulman's death.

Medal and plaque design

The medal design was completed in 1934 by Rayner Hoff (1894—1937), sculptor and teacher, well known for his architectural scaled sculptures in Sydney's Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park.^[3] Along with a small presentation medal, a circular bronze plaque has the text 'Sulman Award for Architectural Merit' on its perimeter, the year awarded, and a female figure holding a smaller winged female figure. The central figure is a stylised classical female in draped garments wearing a radiated headdress, reminiscent of classical depictions of deities or personifications such as Justice, Athena, or Liberty, symbolising cultural enlightenment, reason, and civic virtue. Her left arm cradles a sculptural figure, and her right hand gestures toward it, indicating reverence or presentation. The object she holds is a trophy or miniature statue, depicting a smaller winged or robed figure standing with arms raised. This smaller figure resembles traditional representations of Victory (Nike) or a muse, which often symbolise achievement, excellence, and inspiration.

The reverse side of the medal is inscribed with the text 'Awarded for the design of a building of exceptional merit', with a wreath and ribbon design at the top of the medal and the designer's mark of Hoff at the bottom.^[4]

Establishment

In September 1934, less than three weeks after Sulman's death, a description of the intentions of the award were reported in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. "The late Sir John Sulman with a view to encouraging excellence of design in street architecture presented to the Institute of Architects a fund to provide a medal to be awarded for the design of a building of exceptional merit. The architect of the selected building will receive a medal and a diploma."

The conditions governing the first award were as follows: "(1) The building must front a street, road, square, or court to which the public has access; (2) the architect whose building is submitted must himself be its designer and must satisfy the jury in this regard; (3) any member of the I.A.N.S.W. shall be at liberty to nominate any building for consideration by the jury he is also at liberty to nominate a building of his own design; (4) the jury does not bind itself to confine itself to the buildings nominated should a nominated building have been designed by a member of the jury he shall re- tire during its consideration; (5) the jury shall comprise four architects, one painter, one art critic and the director of The National Art Gallery, to be elected annually by the council of the Institute."

"The Institute has decided to examine annually the buildings in one of six specified classes completed within the previous five years. The classes are:—(1) public (including recreational or sporting, theatres, transport, governmental); (2) ecclesiastical; (3) educational (including art galleries, museums etc.); (4) commercial; (5) domestic; (6) institutional. The council has decided to accept nominations for the 1934 medal for a domestic building."^[5]

John Sulman was enthusiastic about town planning, and it was intended that the Medal was for "a building of exceptional merit that contributed to the streetscape".^[6] This interest in the greater urban environment and the relationship of the building to the public domain parallels the earlier Royal Institute of British Architects Street Architecture Medal instigated in 1923, and the RVIA Street Architecture Medal in Melbourne that began in 1929, later to be known as the Victorian Architecture Medal.

1938 Award

The 1938 Award to the City Architect F.A. Scorer for the Newcastle Incinerator was the first to be awarded to a regional project. Responding to the design of the building the jury report stated “The Jury is of the opinion that the City of Newcastle, and the State of New South Wales generally, is fortunate in having such an excellent contribution to its architecture. The design is felt to be extremely good in its massing, and well expresses the internal functions of the building. The honesty and simplicity of the design conduces largely to its success. The careful and skilful handling of the detail shows a high degree of refinement. The planning, except for one or two minor points, is of the same standard as the elevational treatment."^[7]

1941 Award

In April 1941 the Council of the New South Wales Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects invited nominations of buildings for the 1940 Sir John Sulman Medal. The appointed jury was M.E. Herman, ARAIA (Architect), G.H.B. McDonnell, ARAIA (Architect and 1940 winner), John D. Moore, ARAIA (Architect and 1937 winner), Henry Pynor, ARAIA (Architect), Frank Medworth, RBA (Painter), R. Haughton James (Art Critic) and Will Ashton (Director, National Art Gallery). Nominated buildings needed to have been completed during the five years ending 31 December 1940. Categories for consideration included: 1. Public and Monumental — Government Buildings, Town Halls, Art Galleries, Railway Stations, Hospitals, etc. 2. Educational and Ecclesiastical — Schools, Churches, Convents, etc. 3. Commercial and Industrial — Office Buildings, Warehouses, Factories, etc. 4. Recreational— Theatres, Sporting Buildings, etc. 5. Domestic and Residential — Homes, Flat Buildings, etc.^[8]

1950 Award

In the 1950 Year Book of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the Sir John Sulman Medal and Diploma was defined as being "awarded annually for a building of exceptional merit in one of the following classes: (1) Public and Monumental, (2) Educational and Ecclesiastical, (3) Commercial and Industrial, (4) Recreational, (5) Domestic and Residential. The building must have been erected in New South Wales within the previous five years and must be readily accessible and visible. The Jury comprises four Architects, one Painter, one Art Critic, and the Director of the National Art Gallery."^[9]