Architecture
Each weekend, Australians everywhere take up the colours of sporting codes. Soccer. AFL. In the right season, cricket. It’s common to play out the match ahead of time. Who’s performing well. Who had a shocker last week. If we’re lucky enough to be part of the live action you can see small plays around the goal that set up for the mark.
Skirmishes off to the side that allow for the break away try. A late shuffle in the slips signalling something out wide. And as our eyeballs scan the field for the strategic moves of game play, we’re all doing something that serves as an analogy for the wider urban field of play.
We’re witnessing a set of strategic plays unfold. Canadian Ice Hockey star, Wayne Gretzky was quoted as saying; ‘A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.’ Glory on the sporting field is all about anticipating where that puck/ball/catch is coming next. Imagine if that was how we ran our cities?
Continue reading "Australian cities - failure to plan means planning to fail" »
For the vast majority of people, images of the World Trade Centre in New York, and in particular its destruction, are permanently etched into their psyche.
While we understand a great deal about why the towers collapsed structurally, and the political motivations behind the attack, curiously very little is known about their architect and architecture.
So who was the architect of New York’s World Trade Centre, and what did his building represent at the time it was built?
Continue reading "Symbols of dignity and humanity, long before 9/11" »
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Jas says:
thats all fine and dandy chris, and lets say youre correct, even though, never before has a steel framed building collapsed due to fire, even much much hotter fires that have last much longer.. but heres the thing.. the thing is… if in fact we agree on the scenario, that… Read more »
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TC says:
I think you have made your point John…20-30 times Read more »
Today marks the centenary of the launch of the competition to design the national capital city of Australia.
On May 24, 1911, Minister for Home Affairs King O’Malley announced an international competition for the design. In 1899, the Colonial Premiers had decided that the permanent capital would be in New South Wales, not less than 100 miles from Sydney, and a Congress was held in Melbourne four months after Federation in 1901 on the planning of a capital.
Dalgety was first chosen as the site of the future capital in 1904, but four years later the Canberra Yass region was selected as a replacement. The site for the Australian Capital Territory was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia in January 1911.
Continue reading "Canberra: A bastardised version of the ideal city?" »
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HSV says:
Canberra is not a nice place to live or raise a family. The rest of Australia thinks Canberrans are stupid, greedy and bad drivers, and I have to agree. Living in Canberra for 35yrs allows you to see it for what it was and now is. Cant wait to sell… Read more »
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Just Sayin' says:
“But, like a non-artificial city I’ve also lived in - Ottawa - it’s the capital because no one wanted to go through the Melbourne vs Sydney fight any more than they wanted to go through the Montreal vs Toronto fight.” No, it’s the capital because architects of our constitution wanted… Read more »
The National Gallery is one of those buildings people like to beat up on.
Since its open in 1967the building has been subject to hurtful and unfair sledges such as “pile of concrete poo” and “High Court off-cuts”.
Besides the fact the Colin Madigan building is one of the world’s best examples of brutalist architecture, it is also safely Australia’s coolest public building. In a city dotted with real piles of bureaucratic concrete the NGA is an oasis of unique design.
Continue reading "A look at our new and possibly improved NGA" »
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Lucy says:
I really like the NGA building, and while your description worries me, I’ll withhold judgement on the renos until I see them myself on my next trip to Canberra. My understanding of the old entrance that you describe as the ‘original’ was that it was not actually designed to be… Read more »
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David C says:
i was there last Sunday, it is well worth the time to wander round. The outside areas of the NGA and the portrait gallery are very sparse though, its as if its deserted. As for Canberra well thats a weird place isnt it? Lot of “mate of the dirt” types…… Read more »
If Melbourne was a person she would have been sent to Trinny and Susannah by now.
It wouldn’t be her idea of course - it’s one of those shows she would sneer at - but her loved ones would have given her that little encouraging nudge.
She’d go and be full of fake bravado, giving as much lip at Catherine Deveny on Logies night, bragging about her coffee, her restaurants, her laneways and festivals.
Continue reading "Oh Melbourne, get over yourself daaaahling" »
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Robert Paddington says:
We all know you may as well move to Sydney. Forget the other two… erm, are there more then two? Read more »
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Paula Pelletier says:
Melbourne is the BEST CITY IN AUSTRALIA *HELLO* We’re the SPORTING & FASHION CAPITAL of Australia!!!!! WE have so much Culture, History ETC ETC Well, EVERYTHING!!! I’ve been to QLD & lived there 10 years & SOOOOO BORING!!!!!!!!!! ok great weather & beaches, but unfortunately that’s it!!! Very Back ward!!!!… Read more »
Former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, has long been a champion of better architecture and planning. Most recently, he caused a stir by describing our national capital as “a great mistake”.
Keating also lamented the bulldozing of much of Melbourne’s heritage in the 1970s, but even had a shot at some of the Victorian buildings that remained.
“I used to call it Whorehouse Rococo and Bordello Baroque”, he said. And he teased Australia’s “heritage mafia” for making a crust out of pretending that old buildings are of significance.
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Joe Rossi ex MP says:
Mr. Don Dunstan his idol organised the Natural gas Pipelines Authority building and roof leaked in the first winter. Mr. Don Dunstan organised the Natural gas Pipelines Authority building and roof leaked in the first winter. Mr. Don Dunstan organised the building of Adelaide Festival centre behind Parliament House and… Read more »
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Terry Walsh says:
As the Urban Development Institute of Australia (SA) Executive Director I see Adelaide as having an opportunity to become a city of good design, not only on buildings but of communities with integrated spaces for housing, transport access, leisure and retail. We have the desire in the development industry, we… Read more »
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