The story of this place
Parliament House in Canberra was designed by American architect Romaldo Giurgola with a radical democratic concept: the building would be embedded in Capital Hill, with a grass roof over which the public could walk. Australians would literally be able to stand above their parliament. The 81-metre flagpole on the roof — one of the world's tallest flagpoles — flies an Australian flag the size of a double-decker bus. The building cost $1.1 billion and took eight years to build, opening on 9 May 1988 during Australia's bicentenary celebrations.
The design incorporated 70,000 artworks and crafted objects — every doorknob, every carpet, every glass panel was specifically commissioned. A mosaic forecourt designed by Aboriginal artist Michael Tjakamarra Nelson represents meeting-place ceremony. The building replaced the 'provisional' parliament opened in 1927, which was always intended to be temporary — and which ended up serving for 61 years. Parliament House sits on the axis of the city's geometric plan, aligned with the Australian War Memorial 3.7 kilometres away across Lake Burley Griffin.