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Australia has one of
the longest coastlines with more than 7000 beaches and is
a great tourist attraction. Though Australia has large land
resources and scarce population the cities of Australia teem
with humanity. The urbanization of Australia is a major
concern of the Australian Government and much time and effort
is input into regulating the construction activities in the
cities. The types and styles of the buildings are determined
by State building regulations and local cultural heritage.
The Colonial building
is a legacy from the Colonial era of the 1800s. The
style has been adapted by the modern Australian in creating
homes that are spacious, symmetrical in design with windows
on either side of the front door. The door is sometimes
flanked by two stately pillars. It is generally a single
storied building with little or no decorations.
The unique feature of
this architecture is the 12- paned double hung windows that
have bars and overhung with arched fanlights. The black
and grey sandstock brick with which these buildings are constructed
add grace and beauty to the construction. The traditional
colonial home has large bedrooms and separate dining and living
areas that lead off a central hall with timber floors and
lime washed walls.
This style is extremely
popular with the Australians as it is easy to renovate and
the blocks on which the property stands is often large and
flat and extensions do not spoil the grace and dignity of
the property.
The second type of structure
that is popular in Australia is the Federation Home.
This style is again a legacy of the Federation era of the
1920s. This type of construction is typified by front
verandahs with decorative timber handrails with tiling on
the patio floor and at the point of entrance. These
buildings are constructed with deep red or dark brown brick
or a mixture of the two. The roofs are built up with
terracotta tiles, gables and motifs on the exterior.
A striking feature of the Federation house is the Leadlight
windows. The whole impact is picturesque.
These single storey buildings
(they are double storied in the up market) are medium in size
with a common layout. The main bedroom is at the front
and opens off the verandah. A hallway ends with a lounge
and a utility is located at the back of the house. The
interiors of federation houses are decorative with high ceilings,
plasterwork and ornamentation.
The aesthetic value of
the property makes it an extremely attractive investment.
The renovation of Federation homes is fraught with a number
of challenges. The biggest of these, is the difficulty
in matching the bricks, tiles and floorboards. However,
this style integrates well with almost all styles of construction
and a sense of comfort and pleasantness can be created with
ease.
The third most popular style of building construction in Australia is the Red brick home. This is a traditional Australian concept that was born during the world war II when it was felt that homes should be built solid with hand cut bricks. These houses are positioned on blocks without any thought to the attributes of the site such as orientation, privacy, views or thermals. The houses are generally plain, with roofs made of concrete and windows made of aluminium. The rooms are small and expansion of the building is very difficult. It is however, economical and are ‘built like a tank’
Apart from the above mentioned building styles a number of new architectural styles are emerging in Australia such as the Queenslander home, the fibrocottage and the timber cottage. Variations of the Colonial style, the Federation home and the redbrick home can be found across Australia.
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