James Peter Birrell was born in
Melbourne on the 24 October 1928, the eldest child of Harry and Elizabeth Birrell. Growing up in
Essendon North, Birrell attended North Essendon Primary School from 1934 to 1940 and Essendon State High School from 1940 to 1944. In 1945, at the age of 17, James Birrell was accepted into the
Melbourne Technical College as an architecture student. To help finance his studies, Birrell worked part-time as a builder's labourer. In 1947, Birrell began work as a draughtsman for the Victorian State Works Department and continued his studies Part-time. The same year he also became involved in the Contemporary Arts Society, through the Society he gained many new friends, notably
Peter Burns. In 1950 Birrell was accepted into Fourth Year Architecture at the
University of Melbourne. In 1951 he graduated and designed his first houses, in
Frankston and
Warrandyte, Birrell also worked briefly as the resident Architect at the
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. In 1952 Birrell co-founded the magazine Architecture and Arts with his contemporaries, Peter Burns, Helen O'Donnell and Norman Lehey. In 1954 Birrell contributed to the Contemporary Arts Society's exhibition 'Space Modulators' along with artists including
Sidney Nolan,
Ian Fairweather,
Charles Blackman,
Arthur Boyd and
John Perceval. Working for the Commonwealth Works Department, Birrell was transferred to
Canberra, before going on to
Darwin and finally
Brisbane. In Brisbane James Birrell went on to become
Brisbane City Council Architect and
University of Queensland Staff Architect. It was during this period that Birrell designed his most significant buildings. Throughout his life Birrell admired the works of
Walter Burley Griffin and in 1964 he wrote a biography on Griffin. In March 1985 James Birrell was elected as a councillor for the
Shire of Maroochy in Queensland. Birrell's archive is held at the
Fryer Library at the University of Queensland and the
State Library of Queensland. Birrell died 20 September 2019. ==Notable projects==