Architecture

Cities, town urbanism, town planning, pretty photos of buildings, and the stories behind them.

Photos from ten years ago: July 2011

Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is July 2011. Open House Melbourne The last weekend of July is usually Open House Melbourne, so I did the rounds of places normally closed to the public. First off, the underground Russell Place electrical substation. Complete with mercury arc rectifiers. […]

Never built ‘Parliament Square’ at the top of Bourke Street

Since Melbourne was established as a city a grand civic square has been something lacking. Many attempts have been made over the years to build one, and today’s example is the 1929 ‘Parliament Square’ proposal for the top end of Bourke Street. The proposal was included in the Plan for General Development created by the […]

Birth, death and rebirth at Bunnings Warehouse

You’ll find Bunnings Warehouse stores all over Australia, with new locations and expanded stores appearing on a regular basis. Birth A decade ago I was in the empty streets of an industrial estate south of Caroline Springs, where a new Bunnings Warehouse store was taking shape. The iconic grand entrance was there. But inside there […]

Property developer sledging in Melbourne’s west

The other day a pair of advertisement for land sales on Melbourne’s western fringe caught my eye. The first was for an estate in Wyndham Vale, spruiking their residents only water park. While a competing property developer says “don’t pay a premium for facilities you may never use”. You’ll find the water park at ‘Jubilee‘ […]

What passes for ‘Transit Orientated Development’ in Melbourne’s west

Transit Orientated Development is a process that maximises the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. But at railway stations in Melbourne’s growing western suburbs, the development is anything but. Caroline Springs We start out at Caroline Springs station, located between town and the tip. A massive car park […]