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| Circular form of the Tower Building in Australia Square, a landmark building in Sydney designed by Harry Seidler. It is often regarded as iconic to Australian architecture. |
The Sydney Opera House, designed by Jørn Utzon, is considered to be a masterpiece of 20th century architecture based on its unparalleled design and construction.
Other prominent architects were James Barnet, who designed the General Post Office, The Customs House, and various court houses; and Edmund Blackett, who designed St. Andrew's Cathedral and St Philip's Church.
More contemporary architecture includes the Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish Architect Jørn Utzon. Described as an "artistic monument", it is one of the most recognisable landmarks in both Sydney and Australia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Harry Seidler built many modernist homes and skyscrapers in Sydney, and designed prominent buildings such as the MLC Centre, the Capita Centre, and Australia Square. Seidler's designs contrasted with the Sydney school of the 1950s and 1960s, who favoured more natural and organic designs, often hidden from view in bushland. This style of architecture often utilised natural local materials as structural elements. These views were shared by Glen Murcutt, who believed that a building should blend in with its environment. Sydney has the largest skyline in Australia. Current height restrictions limit future buildings to the height of 235 metres, in part due to the close proximity of Sydney Airport.
Modern Sydney
Internationally, the Sydney Opera House is the most recognised symbol of Sydney and one of the most distinctive pieces of Sydney architecture.
Two major developments shaped Sydney architecture in the years following World War II. Architects were influenced by European Internationalism and applied it to the topography and climate of Sydney. These developments were largely on the city's North Shore, and to a lesser extent in the Eastern Suburbs. In the central business district, the lifting of height restrictions heralded the beginning of the city's change into a largely high-rise city.
The Great Depression and World War II created a severe housing shortage for Australia in the late 1940s. A shortage of materials and skilled labour compounded the shortages, as did restrictive bank lending practises whereby it was the norm for borrowers to put up a deposit of 50% of the value of a house. Building plots of around 115 square metres aggravated the problems further. These factors fed a building industry recession and the cost of building home in the decade following the war grew by 600%. In response, young architects who had worked in Europe and returned to Australia brought a simplicity to design and construction and renewed interest in logical structure and free planning. Verandahs and porches were less common on houses, and slightly pitched roofs replaced hipped roofs. Designs no longer featured non-functional ornamentation, ceilings were lower and rooms were expected to be multi-purpose. Vestibules were eliminated, hallways, and separate dining and living rooms were eliminated and the main entry was directly into the living room.
Harry Seidler was instrumental in the introduction of Internationalism to Sydney. He studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard, worked with Marcel Breuer, and had been tutored by Josef Albers at Black Mountain College. The Rose Seidler House, for his parents, was the first of 10 buildings he built in Sydney between 1948 and 1952. The house was a revelation to conservative to conservative 1950s Sydney.
Synonymous in the minds of many with Australian architecture is American architect Walter Burley Griffin (1876–1937) whose design for Canberra, the new national capital was selected in 1912. He thus made his mark on Australia and Australian architecture. Lake Burley Griffin, in Canberra, was named after him. During the Great Depression he designed incinerators that were built in the Sydney suburbs of Willoughby and Pyrmont. In 1919 he set up the Greater Sydney Development Association, which was concerned with developing new residential areas in bushland settings. The suburb of Castlecrag was a direct result of this venture, avoiding the traditional grid layout and attempting to blend in with the bush.
In contrast to Seidler's strongly European flavour of Modernism was the softer form of Modernism practised by the so-called Sydney School of the 1950s and 1960s. This loose collection of architects, comprising, among many, Bill Lucas, Bruce Rickard, Neville Gruzman and Ken Woolley, favoured organic and natural houses, often hidden from view by careful placement in natural bushland. Following on from Walter Burley Griffin's work in the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag, this style of Australian architecture was visually sensitive to the environment and, like Griffin, often utilised natural local materials as structural elements.
Another important architect who has influenced the Sydney scene is Glen Murcutt. Murcutt was born in 1936 and was responsible for founding the Australian Architecture Association. His philosophy was that a building should blend in with its environment. He has mostly designed residential buildings and his work is represented in several parts of Australia. His Sydney work includes the Laurie Short House, the Berowra Waters Inn, the Ball-Eastaway House, the Magney House, the Done House and the Schnaxl House.
Opened in 1973, the Sydney Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. Its construction was partly financed by the Opera House Lottery. Utzon left in acrimonius circumstances before the building was finished; later work was completed by other architects. Located on Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour, the building is a World Heritage Site.
All about Sydney
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