Jump to content

Talk:Australian architectural styles

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Matilda (talk | contribs) at 20:08, 10 January 2006 (→A possible list of styles - Inter-War Period c. 1915 - c. 1940: add images). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Please Note: This Article is currently under construction, any inconvinience or lack of information will be solved as soon as possible

I moved this notice from the article - wikipedia articles are often under construction but theres no need for such a notice on the article itself -- Astrokey44|talk 09:56, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't this be better at either Architecture of Australia or Residential architecture of Australia? Ambi 10:20, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Possibly. Its suprising that we havent had a general article on architecture for Australia -- Astrokey44|talk 10:47, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The article is more about the styles of Architecture in Australia. Australian Architecture and even residential australian architecture could be refering to the practice as well as the styles. It is surprising that there is no article for architectural styles in Australia. Nick Carson 10:53, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think it's likely to be mistaken as referring to the practice - that's really quite unencyclopedic. All the other articles on this topic (such as Architecture of the United States) refer to styles, and I see no reason why this shouldn't be the same in Australia. Ambi 12:11, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think I agree with Nick on this one. An article about 'Architecture in Australia' could talk about early architects such as Francis Greenway, the early practice of plans being sent out from the UK, the establishment of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the evolution of the profession and establishment of notable firms, university courses that teach architecture, perhaps schools of thought (I'm not familiar with it to that degree) and requirements for accreditation. I don't think that that would necessarily be unencyclopedic.
Congratulations of putting the article together Nick. Excellent work! I'm just as tad worried that the note at the end of List of Architectural Styles in Australia by Year makes it appear to look like original research. I understand the problem of no source coming up with the same list, but I think that a list above a note like that needs to come with some references/sources. Something to consider when you have time perhaps. But once again, top work! -- Adz|talk 12:39, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Could we at least capitalise the article properly then? Ambi 13:15, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sure. no objections from me. -- Adz|talk 13:27, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No worries, changes and corrections are what would make the article better than one person could make it as it would be collective information. The note is there because it's disputed and there are many differing opinions on the way in which Australian architectural styles should be categorised. The list has been compiled from a number of different sources and in it's present form is generally accepted as being the prefered model for categorising architectural styles in Australia. Any changes to that list are more than welcomed in the present day styles, as they could be discussed about to no end. I would suggest that Architecture of the United States should change the name of the article as it can be very confusing if you were searching for somthing described by Adz refering to american architecture, you would be confused as to why the Architecture of the United States article actually refers to the styles of architecture of the united states. Somthing that could be greatly improoved upon in this article is the locations of styles in australian cities. I could speculate as to where styles would be located in most of Brisbane and Sydney, but it would be just that, speculation, so the list of where to find the styles in australian cities will remain incomplete until somone can provide adequate information ex: Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra. For example possibly Adz could compare buildings in suburbs in Canberra with photos in this article and if they find the majority of the buildings/houses in that suburb match, it would be sufficent to say that a particular style can be found in Mt. Stromolo, ACT, that is the type of thing that would make this article extreemly usefull. I will also add some external resources to provide some sources and other usefull information regaurding styles in Australia. Please note that some photos are yet to be added to place a visual reference to each style. -- Nick Carson 12:39, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • It is terrific to see an effort to tackle this underrepresented subject. However, there are a couple of POV statements in the lead section, for example "It is generally acepted within Architectural and Historical communities that Melbourne, Victoria contains the greatest depth of styles in Australia." Can we please have citations for such assertions?
It is not clear to me why the article is named as it is and then immediately in the first sentence limits its scope to residential styles but then the first illustration is of a non-residential building, a cathedral?!?.
I doubt very much that there is such thing as "a complete list of each architectural style in Australia" that has been agreed upon. A useful authority however is: . ISBN 0-207-18562-X. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Edition= ignored (|edition= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |First= ignored (|first= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Last= ignored (|last= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Location= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help).--A Y Arktos 08:31, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The article does apear hold mainly to residential architectural styles, however, somthing very important must be considered first. Other types of buildings for example: industrial, commercial, civic, etc. are all designed for specific purpaces, for example a railway staation to fill the site and meet a particular need based on it's location, or a skyscraper designed to maximise it's site by increasing it's height etc. Whereas residential is designed primarily with variation in it's size to suit the need of it's inhabitants, and secondarily to a particular style that fits local overlays and council regulations of the time, as well as the public demand to build in acordance with the popular style at the time. This is why architectural style is somthing that needs to be defined (particularly in australia) by the residental sector, as each and every other sector is purely individual, pushing the boundaries of architecture most of the time, and suiting the needs it must fill. It is unarguable of course that these other sectors can be divided up into elaborate categorization of styles, however, they account for the minority of buildings in total in australia at least, and any annalysis of them wouldn't be clear cut as in residential housing. You can't make clear cut comparisons between one skyscraper and another, however, you can make clear cut comparisons from one house to the house just next door. The exceptions here would be the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival periods in which mainly only Churches and Cathedrals bear difinative marks of the revivals in their styles, and thus, can be compared.

I have no citations for the fact that Melbourne is regaurded throughout the world not only Australia as containing prime examples of Early, Mid and Late Victorian architecture, as well as Colonial, Georgian and Gothic Revival, and each style can be traced and seen in Melbourne, as opposed to say Darwin which had to compleatly re-build after Cyclone Tracy. Sydney would be an obvious haven for Colonial and Georgian style buildings surviving and alive today, however due to heavey evelopment in Sydney's central suburbs and CBD, much of it's past has been errased. This can be directly compared to Melbourne which has vast suburbs of entirely origional surviving buildings in it's CBD and surrounding suburbs extending up to 8 to 10km out in a radial pattern. Melbourne's abundance of surviving history is largly due to it's major over-the-top overlays such as herritage, cultural significance, and herritage listed buildings. There are many many suburbs in Melbourne that are themselves entirely herritage listed. Other cities in Australia boast excelent examples of architectural styles in australia, however, none as expansive and with such massive depth of that of Melbourne's. However, the statment: "It is generally acepted within Architectural and Historical communities that Melbourne, Victoria contains the greatest depth of styles in Australia." could certainly be edited out if it causes dispute.

There are no 2 books alike, and there are no 2 people whos views and interpretations are the same, and it must be remembered that books are writen by people. The list compiled in this article is complete, and while it certainly depicts mainly residential styles, it has been compiled and is agreed upon by many professionals lecuring, currently practising various occupations in the building industry and those undertaking both, as well as many texts and historial societies.

The below Possible list of styles taken from Apperley, Irving and Reynolds should deffinatly be used in the same article, as it outlines and elaboratly describes non-residential styles. I will edit the article soon and create new headings: Residential Styles and Non-Resiential Styles and insert the list of styles taken from Apperley, Irving and Reynolds under the non-residential styles heading.

I feel there is no need to confuse anyone by having an entirely seperate article for residential architectural styles in australia, just as it would be equally confusing to have a totally seperate article for commercial architectural styles in australia. I feel it would be best arranged the way I've mentioned above, and anyone seeking further depth into non-residential architectural styles can either explore the rest of the worlds abundance in styles, use an external link, or buy a copy of Apperley, Irving and Reynolds : ).

Of the people wishing to attain information about architectural styles in australia, the majority of them would be seeking residential styles in particular, and in most ways, it is the residential styles that dictate any comparible styles in non-residential architecture. Nick carson 11:54, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]


A possible list of styles taken from Apperley, Irving and Reynolds

These authors break the Australian styles into six periods, and then produce a list within those as follows:

Old Colonial Period 1788 - c. 1840; Victorian Period c. 1840 - c. 1890; Federation period c. 1890 - c. 1915; Inter-War Period c. 1915 - c. 1940; Post-War Period c. 1940 - 1960; Late Twentieth Century Period 1960 -

I'll list the styles they give by separate edit--A Y Arktos 08:54, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A possible list of styles - Old Colonial Period 1788 - c. 1840

  • Old Colonial Georgian; Old Colonial Regency; Old Colonial Grecian; Old Colonial Gothick Picturesque

A possible list of styles - Victorian Period c. 1840 - c. 1890

15 styles all prefaced by "Victorian":

Georgian, Regency, Egyptian, Academic Classical, Free Classical, Filligree, Mannerist, Second Empire, Italianate, Romanesque, Academic Gothic, Free Gothic, Tudor, Rustic Gothic, Carpenter Gothic

A possible list of styles - Federation period c. 1890 - c. 1915

12 styles, each style name prefaced by "Federation":

Academic Classical, Free Classical, Filligree, Anglo-Dutch, Romanesque, Gothic, Carpenter Gothic, Warehouse, Queen Anne, Free Style, Arts and Crafts, Bungalow

A possible list of styles - Inter-War Period c. 1915 - c. 1940

16 styles, each style name prefaced by "Inter-War":

Georgian Revival, Academic Classical, Free Classical, Beaux-Arts, Stripped Classical, Commercial Palazzo, Mediterranean, Spanish Mission, Chicagoesque, Functionalist, Art-Deco, Skyscraper Gothic, Romanesque, Gothic, Old English, California Bungalow

A possible list of styles - Post-War Period c. 1940 - 1960

5 styles, each style name prefaced by "Post-War":

Ecclesiastical, International, Melbourne Regional, Brisbane Regional, American Colonial

A possible list of styles - Late Twentieth Century Period 1960 - present

14 styles, each style name prefaced by "Late Twentieth Century":

Stripped Classical, Ecclesiastical, International, Organic, Sydney Regional, Perth Regional, Adelaide Regional, Tropical, Brutalist, Structural, Late Modern, Post Modern, Australian Nostalgic, Immigrants' Nostalgic

The book was published in 1989.

Introduction

"The term Architectural styles can be used to describe the architectural style of all buildings, but it is primarily used in conjunction with residential buildings, as they account for a greater percentage of buildings overall. Throughout this article a complete list of each architectural style in Australia and summaries on the major styles can be found. It is generally acepted within Architectural and Historical communities that Melbourne, Victoria contains the greatest depth of styles in Australia. Therefore, it serves as the basis for an analysis of Architectural Styles in Australia."

Removed this part from the intro - The article should be about styles of all types of buildings - here in Canberra plenty of non-residential buildings are thought of in terms of their style - Cameron offices is Brutalist, the National Library is classical, edmund barton is international etc. Also is it really accepted that Melbourne has the greatest depth of styles? While this is a perfectly good introduction for an essay, it does not suit Wikipedia's WP:NPOV style - there are likely to be other editors who will add information which is not just about Melbourne. -- Astrokey44|talk 11:36, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Primary split: residential/non-residential or by period?

  • I think the breakdown can really thought of by period first then perhaps use and that this would be generally held. For example people would look at a church, a railway station or a house and say that is from the Victorian era. Of course it is generally obvious whether the building is residential or otherwise. The source I have referred to above, does take use into account - for example several periods have specific eccleciastrical styes.
I fully concur there is no one source, but the book I have referenced above is a basic Australian uni textbook for the history of architecture and borrowed heavily from JM Freeland's definitive Architecture in Australia: A History. I have no difficulty with any variation to their classification, nor a merger of some of the finer distinctions they draw. But I do believe in authorities (Wikipedia:Cite sources). My next steps, in between a schedule of domestic and other duties, will be to try and develop some galleries, illustrating the styles, on this talk page. Regards--A Y Arktos 19:36, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Australian_architectural_styles&oldid=34651941"