Australian Architecture Analysis

The Griffins, Kevin Borland and Edmond and Corrigan expressionist tendencies rebelled against the mainstream and were a catalyst to pluralism within Melbourne Architecture. Expressionism was formed in Europe in the 20th century during the inter-war period. Expressionist architecture emphasized form and abstraction which was centered around themes of natural phenomena such as caves, crystals, rocks ,organic forms and democratic ideals. It uses the form of the building as a means to symbolize, or evoke the personal feelings of the viewer or architect. Post modernism is a style which rejects the monotonous notions of modernism and leans to a more expressive view. The rise of popularity of modernism in the early 20th century sparked less interest

They emphasized the users of the architecture and reflects their architecture as a bearer of meaning that responds to its contexts.

Regionalism architecture was becoming more prominent with the post modern movement, this helped to liberate the Australian architect. Peter Corrigans work promoted post modern architecture that was uniquely Australian, sampling from the Australian suburbs in an effort to stop Australian architecture being considered as ‘peripheral’. Corrigan celebrates the unique ordinariness of suburbia in his architecture which becomes a means of interpreting the ‘Australian dream’. Maggie Edmond and Peter Corrigan played a pivotal role in giving direction to post modern regionalism in Australia which explores the iconography of the suburban type of Australia. The exploration of the suburban type is clearly represented in the parish whereby the fabric of the suburb of Keysborough compressed in to it. Edmund and Corrigan drew upon sources related to early Australian house design. There were a range of sources, particularly to Federation and rural forms, the church was made to reflect qualities of a house, with the nave area and church was made ‘house-like’, with the nave area as the ‘inside’ and the veranda and enclosed perimeter area as the ‘outside’ (figure 1). To emphasize this

These styles shared various similarities, freeing up internal space, expression of building materials and internal functions and a reduction in ornament, which are characteristics of modern architecture. This was not a solution to solving Australia identity crisis however it assisted in the development of an Australian style. It was frowned upon to directly reproduce foreign architecture in Australia, which was seen as ‘anachronistic’ by John Horbury Hunt. It is evident through the Walter Burley and Marion Marney Griffin’s work that were opposed to this as their inspiration was extremely eclectic and was not bound to these three styles that most Australian architects were experimenting with. Their approach was to take in to consideration all era’s and