Griffin's Federal Capital Design
Griffin's design placed Capitol Hill at the centre of Canberra and at the physical and symbolic centre of the nation. Wide tree lined avenues radiated from Capitol Hill, each named after a State capital and pointing in the direction of that city.
Griffin's plan was distinctive for the manner in which its structure and geometry sensitively related to the natural terrain of the site. The harmony thus created imbued his plan with a timeless quality, subtly interpreting this composition with the key hills and the Molonglo River Valley.
The Land Axis linked Mount Ainslie to Capitol Hill. The Water Axis ran from Black Mountain through a lake formed by damming the Molonglo River.
A third axis - the Municipal Axis (now Constitution Avenue) ran parallel to the water axis from City Hill to Russell Hill. Lines drawn through these points and Capitol Hill form a great Triangle. On the southern shore of his lake scheme, Griffin proposed that government buildings should be built on each side of the Land Axis, rising up in terraces to a perfect architectural focal point on Capitol Hill.
Griffin used his three axes to set the different building levels which would reinforce the hierarchical nature of the functions of the city. The natural level of his lake (now Lake Burley Griffin) would establish the base level for the Water Axis and this was appropriate for social activities, sport and recreation.
In his design for Canberra, Griffin was influenced by L'Enfant's plan for Washington and the principles of the "City Beautiful" and "Garden City" movements seen at the Chicago World's Fair which integrated architecture, landscape, water features and grand processional ways.