Australian Architecture

Architecture in Australia incorporates the architecture produced in the area of the Commonwealth of Australia (or in its preceding indigenous and colonial societies). Indigenous Australians produced only semi-permanent structures and during Australia's early Western history, it was a collection of British colonies in which architectural styles were strongly influenced by British designs. However, the unique climate of Australia necessitated adaptations and 20th Century trends reflected the increasing influence of American urban designs and a diversification of the cultural tastes and requirements of an increasingly multicultural Australian society.

Notable Australian architectural adaptations include the Queenslander and Federation styles of residential architecture. Iconic Australian designs include the UNESCO listed Sydney Opera Home, Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building and the 11 remnant penal colony sites selected for World Heritage protection in 2010.

In the period before European settlement of Australia in 1788, evidence of permanent structures built by Indigenous Australians in Australia was limited as the Indigenous people did not build establishments that were commonly recognised by the European Settlers. As a British colony, the first European buildings were derivative of the European fashions of the time. Tents and wattle and daub huts preceded additional substantial structures. Georgian architecture is seen in early government buildings and the homes of the wealthy. With the Australian gold rushes of the mid-19th century major buildings, largely in Melbourne and Sydney and to a lesser extent in regional capitals such as Ballarat and Bendigo were built in the style of Victorian architecture of the majority significant architectural movements in Australian architecture was the Federation architecture style of the turn of the 20th century, where Australia began to play with the idea of a "style of our own", and the modern styles of the late 20th century which sought to reject historicism.

Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect who played a key role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city. A legacy of his unique building designs remains in a small number of Melbourne buildings and the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag. Castlecrag was planned by Griffin and as well features a number of houses designed in the organic Modernist style he developed after the Prairie School architecture that marked his before career in the United States. The simple, flat-roofed cottages that Griffin built in Canberra used his innovative, patented techniques for concrete construction.

Like elsewhere in the world, socio-political factors have played their roles in shaping Australian architecture. During the early 20th Century, cities across Australia had placed building height limits, typically 150 feet (45 m), thus hampering the development of American-style skyscrapers until the limits were lifted in the late 1950s. Likewise the popular notion of the "Australian Dream", in which families seek to own their free-standing houses with backyards, meant that high-density housings were rare in Australia until the end of the 20th Century.

Significant concern was raised during the 1960s, with green bans and heritage concerns responding to the destruction of before buildings and the skyscraper boom, particularly in Sydney. Green bans helped to protect historic eighteenth century buildings in The Rocks from being demolished to make way for office towers, and prevented the Royal Botanic Gardens from being turned into a carpark for the Sydney Opera Home. In Melbourne a battle was fought to preserve historic Carlton, Victoria from slum reclamation for public housing, while gentrification played a large part in the suburb's salvation.

In the 21st century, a lot of Australian architects have taken a additional Avant-garde approach to design, and a lot of buildings have emerged that are truly unique and reflective of Australia's culture and values. As a result, a lot of Australian practices are beginning to expand their influence overseas rather than the reverse which was often the case.

Australian architectural styles

The Indigenous Australians were a largely nomadic people, so there was little indigenous architectural style or tradition to influence the ideas and knowledge that the British settlers brought with them when settling Australia from 1788.

During the nineteenth century, Australian architects were inspired by developments in England. This is in part due to a large number of architects coming from England to Australia to practice. In the twentieth century, American and International influences dominated. As Australia gradually became a multicultural country in the late 20th century, the influences of immigrants as well became evident. Imported exotic styles before than this can be found in a small number of historically significant Joss houses and synagogues. In additional recent times, other world and South-East Asian influences have had a minor influence on Australian architectural styles.

Some architectural styles show the direct influence of local factors such as climate (directly resulting in the "Filigree", "Queenslander" and "Federation Home" styles) and local materials and skillsets. Some Australian Architects were as well seen at the forefront of various movements, particularly residential architects like Harry Norris, Roy Grounds, Robin Boyd, Frederick Romberg and Harry Seidler.

There are a lot of notable structures, of particular importance are:

• the Sydney Opera Home, original design being by Jørn Utzon (UNESCO World Heritage)
• the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Federation Square, Melbourne
• Parliament Home, Canberra
• Sydney Harbour Bridge