National Parliament House, Port Moresby
A parliament in the form of a spirit house – the Sepik haus tambaran reimagined as the democratic heart of the most linguistically diverse nation on earth.
At a glance
- Type
- Parliament
- Period
- 1978-1984
- Style
- Haus Tambaran modernism
- Location
- Waigani, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- Coordinates
- -9.4319, 147.1843
- Architect
- Cecil Hogan
Overview
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, opened in 1984 by Prince Charles, translates the soaring spirit house of the Sepik river – the haus tambaran – into the country’s principal civic building. Its forward-leaning facade, a triangle 30 metres high, carries a vast mosaic of national motifs; inside, the chamber serves the 111 members representing a nation of over 800 languages.
History
Papua New Guinea reached independence from Australia in 1975 and chose, in its new capital district of Waigani, an architecture of identity rather than imported classicism. Australian architect Cecil Hogan worked with PNG artists – notably mosaicist and carver teams led by Archie Brennan-trained craftsmen – to create a building whose decoration was a national art project in itself.
Architecture and Design
The entrance facade’s mosaic by PNG artists depicts the bird of paradise, kundu drums, and the peoples of the four regions; carved house posts and a lintel by master carvers of the Sepik flank the doors. The fan-shaped chamber under a sweeping roof recalls both the spirit house interior and the Westminster model it adapts.
Cultural significance
The Parliament is the most ambitious work of post-colonial identity architecture in the Pacific, the attempt of a new nation to house imported institutions in indigenous form. It appears on the 50 kina note and remains the stage of PNG’s turbulent, vibrant democracy.
Visiting today
The grand hall and chamber gallery can be visited on weekdays when parliament sits or by arrangement; the National Museum and Art Gallery, with the world’s finest Sepik collections, is adjacent in Waigani.
Getting there
Waigani is 15 minutes by taxi from downtown Port Moresby; visitors should arrange transport through hotels as the city has limited public transit.
Sources and resources
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