JuxtapositionDifficult to Define; Easily Understood

What made Melbourne a city with heritage and

contemporary buildings juxtaposed? Heritage

protected buildings and adaptive reuse of the

protected buildings lay the nostalgic foundation

that a modern cosmetic makeover can be

applied…

According to the Heritage Council of

Victoria, the first European settlements

and the Industrial Revolution coincide.

Victorian settlements boomed during

the late 19th century into the 20th

century. Broken down into periods:

Victorian, Federation, Inter and Post

World War, and then Modern and

Contemporary; these periods define

the heritage of the building. Heritage

protected buildings are up kept in

three different ways: Facadism,

Renovation, and Adaptive Reuse…

Neo-Classical revival for State

Victoria State Library

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Gothic Revival for the Church

Melbourne, VICAs the Futuristic city plans interweave throughout the historical foundation of the Central

Business District, modern meets history. Embodied energy in heritage protected sites save them from demolition. Either the site is renovated to fit the original purpose

(renovation), or the site is given a new purpose while still using the original building (adaptive reuse). The simplest form of this occurs when only the historic façade is used at

street level (facadism).

Victorian Picturesque

Trolley ride into the Central Business District

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology exemplifies heritage protected sites and modern buildings juxtaposed.

Melbourne Central in the heart of the C.B.D. timelines the different eras of development in the city. An Art-deco building adaptively reused from an old office building into residential apartment living for students attending the university. This building is dwarfed by the modern skyscraper indicative of the fast-paced business culture of this port city. Snuggled in the middle of all this, is the heritage site of the Lead Pipe & Shot Factory. The cone structure doubles as a protective barrier to the heritage building and a skylight for the mall built around the site.