Australian architecture - understatement vs overstatement

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Australian architecture
Understatement versus overstatement

Arguably, no creative discipline records a nation’s culture as effectively as architecture. Each building records ideas of status, a relationship between the designer and other designers, and an adaptation to the environment.

Although Australian architecture is diverse as a whole, there are a number of features that can be spoken about when talking about an Australian style. The most important of these is a conflict between understatement and overstatement. Specifically, some architecture aims to blend into the surrounding buildings or landscape so that it appears to be in harmony. An example is Parliament House, which follows the gentle lines of the hill that was removed to create it, and which also has wide lawn arches over the top to allow the public to express their power over politicians.

Parliament House aims to find a harmony with local landscape and Australian culture.

Another example is the work of Glen Murcutt, who takes the understatement of the bush shacks and infuses into them the refined concepts of modern architecture. Murcutt pays close attention to the movement of the sun, moon, and seasons in order to harmonise his buildings with the movement of light and wind. This interior of modernity and refinement makes a strange juxtaposition with the exterior of heritage and toughness.

Glen Murcutt - Kempsey shorthouse

At the other extreme is architecture which tries to stand out from surrounding styles and demand to be looked at. An example is the National Museum of Australia, which is collection of colours and lines that just make it look like a dog's breakfast that doesn’t seem to reflect the environment, local architecture or Australian history. Other examples include the 19th century Victorian and Gothic styles of Melbourne. After gold was discovered in regional Victoria in 1850s, Melbourne became home to an establishment set that craved respectability and tried to achieve it through architecture. More recently, Melbourne has become home to an assortment of buildings making use of bright colours, wonky lines and optical illusions in a vain attempt to stand out from other buildings doing the same thing.

The conflict between understatement and overstatement has made it relatively more difficult to identify distinct styles in Australia. Whereas European cities tend to have all buildings within the one style that was set a couple of hundred years ago, Australian cities have attained diversity as some architects have situated themselves at various points of spectrum of fitting in and standing out.

Another characteristic of Australian architecture is a tendency to redesign its existing architecture and change the function of the building in the process. Examples include the old VB brewery in Melbourne being converted to apartments, the Waverly Park Football Ground being converted to a housing estate, and warehouses in Hobart built for the whaling industry being redeveloped to house galleries, restaurants, nightspots and shops. Admittedly, such redesign of old architecture is done in many countries; however, change in land use has been faster in Australian cities because the cities are younger, which has allowed economic transformation to occur more rapidly. This has resulted in a greater number of redevelopments in comparison to other countries.

The feeling that previous generations have left traces of the past is arguably one of the most attractive features of Australian architectures because the traces provide a sense of continuity and attachment. Furthermore, they provide a feeling of evolving heritage. Not only is the evolving heritage intriguing in itself, it also fosters an appreciation for the creativity that was able to link multiple generations in architecture. Ironically, the diversity of heritage has a way of giving many Australian cities a greater sense of history than some European cities that had their external architecture designed centuries ago, and haven't seen much change ever since. In a sense, Australian cities show multiple chapters of a book, whereas many European cities only show one.

Victoria Brewery

Brewery conversion

The old Victoria Brewery has been converted into apartments. Included in the apartments is a beer museum.

A final characteristic of Australian architecture is an adaptation to environmental conditions. These adaptations are different depending upon which part of Australia the building is located in. In the bush, the adaptations generally necessitated an ethic of understatement. This was largely because the harsh Australian environment made it difficult to construct buildings of grandeur. Unlike the straight-grained trees of the northern hemisphere, Australian eucalypts are wonky. Any builder using them just had to accept that there would be gaps in their walls, their roof would not be straight, and that prestige would not be a feature of their house.

To cope with poor building materials, early pioneers imported corrugated iron sheeting. Light but strong, the sheeting was the perfect roof that could be transported from steel factories on the coast to the isolated interior. The combination of corrugated iron sheeting and an isolated existence resulted in houses being designed for pragmatic reasons rather than status reasons or cultural reasons. (In the cities, corrugated iron roofs were often concealed behind high facades such was the low status associated with it.)

Another feature of bush architecture was that homes were never built with an invasion in mind. In Europe, many farmers lived in a fortified village and commuted out to their farms during the day. Villages and houses were designed in such a way because European farmers traditionally suffered from raiding parties. Likewise, early American houses were often built with castle style slits for the occupants to shoot out of. These were probably designed to allow the occupants to protect themselves against Indians, cowboys or various soldiers of the civil war. Australian farmers never had such concerns. Consequently, farm houses were located in the middle of properties, away from the village, and not designed with defensive features.

A classic example of the function over status was the 1840 home of Dundullimal in western NSW. The house was designed with a low pitched roof that sheltered the two-metre-wide veranda. Although it looked a little ugly, the low pitched roof allowed much of the summer sun to be kept out. In addition, the fireplace was placed on the western wall so that the afternoon sun kept the fire bricks warm.

In Sydney there has been some adaptation to the local environment by using local materials. Specifically, it has made extensive use of sandstone on which it is built, particularly on the north shore. In addition, the mild climate has allowed for the construction of weatherboard houses.

Aside from showing evidence of environmental adaptation, Sydney also shows some architectural responses to the various social conditions of the day. The first serious architecture came under the rein of Governor Macquarie. When he arrived, Macquarie found a society divided between free settlers and Emancipists. It was also a society in which the military had deposed the previous governor. To reduce conflict, Macquarie asked Convict architect Francis Greenway to design buildings that would encourage pride in the colony. Greenway implemented Macquarie's vision with solid brick constructions that conveyed an underlying theme of strength and permanency. Notable works included the Macquarie Lighthouse, Hyde Park Barracks, the Female Factory in Parramatta, the District Courts, St James Church, Queen's Square, and St Matthews Church.

When modernism took hold in the 1930s, Sydney siders set about destroying their heritage as quickly as possible. Old buildings were demolished, and trams were eradicated from the transportation system. The modernist sentiment also created demand for an Opera House to import some high-class European culture into Sydney's barren landscape. A world-wide design competition was subsequently won by Jan Utzon. Although highly innovative and completely different to all other Sydney buildings, Utzon's designed resonated with the local population. To some people, the Opera House reminded them of shells that they might find when walking along Sydney's beaches. To others, the Opera House reminded them of the boats that sail in Sydney harbour. Although there was disagreement about what the Opera House was meant to symbolise, everyone was in agreement that the design was in harmony with the Sydney landscape.

Melbourne showed some limited environmental adaptation with the use of Bluestone, but on the whole, Melbournian architects have traditionally been more concerned with showing status than with pragmatically responding to the world around them. This can be partially attributed to its early wealth. After gold was discovered in regional Victoria in 1850s, Melbourne became home to an establishment set that craved respectability and tried to achieve it through architecture. Massive and ornate constructions displayed all the refinement of the Victorian and Gothic styles.

Brisbane escaped many of the grandeur contests that motivated Melbourne and Sydney architects to design buildings of prestige. Instead, its architects designed buildings that made life enjoyable for their occupants. Many of Brisbane's houses were built on stilts to ensure adequate ventilation in the humid environment. They also had large verandas so tired farmers could sit outside, have a beer and watch the sun go down. Nor was their any shame in having a corrugated iron roof that needed to be concealed with boom architecture. Brisbane's corrugated iron roofs are on display. When it rains, the sound of rain on iron proudly reminds occupants that they live in Australia.

Queensland architecture; often elevated to allow air to cirulate, and wide verandahs for relaxing upon in the heat.

Activity 1- The round courthouse

Below is a concept design by Marcus Graham for a "round courtroom" that invite a sense of public ownership. The central theme of the design is to substitute the public for the judge as the court's primary symbol of power. According to Garland

"The public is not immediately involved today in the direction or administration of punishment rather, it forms the audience of onlookers to which penal rituals appeal and which, in turn, responds with emotional commitment and support (or, less often, with criticism and protest). These ritual occasions form the focus for the diffuse concerns, worries, and emotions that constitute the public temper in regard to crime. People look to such procedures not just as instrumental mechanisms which will process the single offender in question, but as symbolic reassertion of order and authority which help deal with the feelings of helplessness, disorder, and insecurity which crime introduces to their lives." (Garland 1990 p68)

The round courtroom elevates the public above a round court as in a football arena, or house of parliament, thus conveying a symbolic message that the judge is a representative of the people rather than a ruler over all. The symbolism particular lends itself to the restorative practices that work on the principle that if crime hurts, justice should heal. These restorative practices have been used in the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in South Africa and post-genocide in Rwanda. Under restorative practices, victims gain a greater symbolic role in the delivery of justice.

Although such a theme is consistent with Australia's egalitarian ethic, the design polarises opinion. Some love the innovation and the sentiment whilst others think it ridiculous pie in the sky that could never be a reality. While it may indeed never be built, as a work of art it succeeds in promoting discussion in regards to the public's role in the judicial process, and how that role can be symbolically expressed in architecture.

1) Look at a conventional court. How is power of the various participants conveyed? What is the purpose of elevating the judge and seating the public at the back of the court?

2) The design of Parliament House in Canberra is very unusual in that it symbolically allows the public to walk over the top of parliament to symbolise the public's power. How do you feel about this symbolism?

3) The High Court of Australia (pictured below) is in a style known as brutalism. It aims to express power of the law. How do you feel about this expression of power?

4) Australia has long history of a significant number of individuals feeling alienated from the law. Could changing symbolism reduce some of that alienation?

5) Australia has a long history of the legal system abusing its power. Could the threat of the abuse of power be reduced if justices were encouraged to see their power relationship to the public in a different way?

Activity 2 - What is Australian architecture?

Looking at buildings to see the historical values they record, their response to the local environment.

Look at the pictures below and answer the questions.

Salamanca Place. Built for the whaling industry of the 1830s, they have been redeveloped to house galleries, restaurants, nightspots and shops.

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Greg Burgess - Uluru Cultural Centre

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

High Court of Australia

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Francis Greenway - Hyde Park Barracks

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Federation Square

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Bush architecture

Old farm house converted to a fishing shack.

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Mix of styles in Melbourne

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Church Apartments

Is the building in a recogniseable style?
Would you define the building as overstated or understated?
Can the building tell us anything about the local culture, history or the natural environments?

Activity 3 - Heritage listing

Assessing the pros and cons of holding on to the past

A conflict in an ideological approach to the past came to a head in 1973 over the planned redevelopment of the Rocks, an ex-Convict settlement turned into drinking area overlooking the Opera House. In September 1973, Jack Mundy, then secretary of the Builders' Labourers Federation, raised the Eureka Stockade Flag and led unionists in Australia's first green ban. Mundy’s intention was to save the Rocks. Although many were arrested, the battle was won, the Rocks were saved and drinkers were grateful. Subsequently BLF greenbans forced a sea change in philosophy and instead of destroying heritage, Sydney architects were forced to work with it.

Old buildings often have poor environmental credentials, may contain dangerous building materials and may be an eyesore. How much freedom should owners have to knock them down?

Find one redevelopment of an old building in which its original purpose has changed. Describe the redevelopment and what is to be respected about it.

Activity 4 - To be good or to be different

Assessing the pros and cons of various apporaches to design

Being good is not necessarily the same as being different. Being good generally involves being a refined exponent of a style, while being different can generally be attained by intentionally ignoring styles. For example, if most buildings in the area have parallel lines, an architect can insert a couple of angular lines. Additionally, they can experiment with process. For example, one famous architect simply makes a few sketches, puts it on a photocopier and when it scans, he moves the paper to get distorted lines.

The picture below contrasts Venice, where buildings are within a style, and Melbourne, were creativity reins. Assess the pros and cons of each approach to design. The next one shows Federation Square (a unique style) aside Flinders Street Station (within a style).

Venice Melbourne