Walter Bunning

Walter Ralston Bunning (19 May 1912 – 13 October 1977) was an Australian architect and urban planner.

Early life Bunning was born in Brisbane, the twin son of George Edward Bunning (an English-born pastoralist) and his wife Edwina Mary Huey, Edkins (a Queenslander). He then worked in the offices of Carlyle Greenwell and Stephenson & Meldrum while attending Sydney Technical College at night. After his graduation he was awarded a travelling scholarship by the Board of Architects of New South Wales

Working life In 1938 Bunning returned to Australia and helped to establish the Sydney arm of the Modern Architectural Research Society (MARS), with Arthur Baldwinson which was modelled on the famous British organisation of the same name. In 1943 Bunning was appointed executive officer of the Commonwealth Housing Commission writing much of its influential 1944 report,

Homes in the Sun

Stemming from his work with the Commonwealth Housing Commission in 1945 Bunning published Homes in the Sun. The book advocated better designed homes, communities, towns and regions to suit the Australian environment. There would be a clear separation of transport modes and the communities would also be separated, each serviced by their own facilities. The firm's most famous work was the National Library of Australia in Canberra. The firm had many other successful designs such as Liner House (1960) and International House, The University of Sydney (1967). However in 1957 the firm learned that it had failed in its bid to design the Sydney Opera House.