Errol Kwong Australia | Australia’s Top 10 Iconic Architectural Buildings
Australia maintains a strong connection to its past through its architecture, despite being far from Europe, says Errol Kwong. There are remnants of Colonial, Gothic, and even Classicist era architecture all around the nation, as well as some of the most intriguing modern buildings and structures, especially in some of its largest and busiest cities. We’re taking a look at Australian architecture today and letting you know which ten structures you really must see on your next vacation to Oceania.
Sydney Opera House
Any discussion of renowned Australian architecture is sure to mention the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Opera House, which was built in 1959, is among the most recognizable examples of Australian design. Initially, the plan was so intricate that J.R. Utzon, the architect, was derided for his “impossible design.” The Sydney Opera House revolutionized the use of computers for future structural problems that had not yet been fully understood. It became one of the first structures to do so with computers, says Errol Kwong Melbourne. It was erected in 1959 and the architect of this building is Jorn Utzon.
Council Building (Perth)
City officials lived in Perth’s Council House during the majority of its existence. It was praised when it was first built in the 1960s as a spectacular example of contemporary Australian architecture. It eventually fell into ruin over the years, though, and in the 1990s there were some thoughts of demolishing it. Luckily, it was renovated instead, and its steel frame enclosed in concrete is still in place. The building was built in 1963. Howlett and Bailey Architects are the architects, and the building is in Perth.
The Memorial Shrine
The Shrine of Remembrance was initially constructed in memory of Victoria’s First World War soldiers. The Shrine of Memory, like many notable instances of western architecture, draws inspiration from Greece, specifically the Parthenon. developed in 1934. James Wardrop and Phillip Hudson are the architects. Melbourne is the location.
Western Australia’s Council House
“The Council House in Perth is a unique illustration of a success tale in the preservation of twentieth-century Modernism in Australia.
“It is a remarkable example of international Modernism tempered by geography and climate because of the glass entrance and water elements, as well as the façade of T-shaped, mosaic-covered sun shading fins. Early in the 1990s, it was considered to be an eyesore or just “in the wrong location at the wrong time,” and it was in danger of being demolished.
Nonetheless, a determined campaign resulted in its preservation and thoughtful renovation, and it is today praised as an architectural “landmark” in the Perth CBD.
Baker House, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
The geometry of this home, constructed for a mathematician in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, has an essentialness. An organised symmetry gives way to substantial variances in how the house functions and is perceived. Straightforward, but not basic. Self-evident, but full of surprises and unexpected relationships.
“The Baker House must be Mr Boyd’s most sophisticated and natural home — a true ‘ideal’ city layout at the scale of a family residence. The house merges modern sensibilities without using modern materials, with the exception of the concrete floors, and has all stone walls, straw ceilings, and concrete floors.
“This unconventional courtyard home flips the traditional inward gaze out back out to the surrounding bushland, with the flyscreen covered.
The Australian National University’s Academy of Science was finished in 1959 in Canberra, the country’s capital territory.
A big conference hall with raked seating, a council room, offices, and a fellow’s room are all contained in this building, which is also referred to as the “Shine Dome.” The building is made of concrete and is covered in copper.
“The arches offer a 360-degree panoramic sequence of 16 views of Walter Burley Griffin’s capital city and the hills beyond from the promenade between the moat and the inner walls. Some of the sound problems caused by the circular structure were addressed by a sophisticated system of acoustic baffles suspended from the ceiling and incorporated into the walls, but this system produced an entirely unanticipated issue. Architects are Roy Grounds Construction: Civil & Civic/ Structural engineers: W L Irwin & Associates.
Eddie Koiki Mabo Library, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland
James Birrell is the architect.
“There is an unsettling sense of monumentality about the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library. It’s a huge chunk of a structure.
“I admire the large parasol roof, the almost primitive circular cut-out windows, and the semi-circular porch openings at the corners of the structure, which indicate deep shade and a pleasant retreat from Townsville’s dry heat. This very straightforward, almost crude simplicity has a certain strength because it responds to the undulations of the historic environment that surrounds the school — broad strokes for a broad landscape.
“Yet, it also reminds me of Roy Grounds’ National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne,” the author continued. Yet, it’s harder — even brutal — in Townsville.
Lastly
Apart from the mentioned architectural building above, there are several more great buildings to see in Australia. But the ones mentioned above are the most iconic ones, says Errol Kwong Australia.
