Queenslander (or Old Queenslander)
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
is an architectural style common throughout
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. It is also found in the northern parts of the adjacent state of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. The style was common from the 1840s through to the 1960s and used mainly for residential construction, although some commercial edifices such as
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s were also built in the similar Victorian Filigree style, found throughout Australia.
Queenslander buildings are identifiable by large verandahs and large double doors which open onto these verandahs.
Queenslander (or Old Queenslander)
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
is an architectural style common throughout
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. It is also found in the northern parts of the adjacent state of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. The style was common from the 1840s through to the 1960s and used mainly for residential construction, although some commercial edifices such as
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s were also built in the similar Victorian Filigree style, found throughout Australia.
Characteristics
Queenslander buildings are identifiable by large verandahs and large double doors which open onto these verandahs. They are typically raised on vertical "stumps," made of timber or concrete. The use of timber stumps was banned in the mid 1950s and any replacements must now be steel or concrete. The stumps served two purposes, firstly to elevate the houses for ventilation and secondly to protect them from floodwaters, as well as termites and other pests. Queenslanders are always constructed of mostly wood, although some are restored with prefabricated plastic cladding. In the days before air-conditioning, it was designed to increase air-flow throughout the house by way of large doors and windows, which lined up internally. This is so that the air literally passes
through the house, rather than entering through one window and stagnating in the room. Roofs are generally made of
corrugated ironCorrugated galvanised iron is a building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised mild steel, cold-rolled to produce a linear corrugated pattern in them...
or tin, and external walls are sided with timber, often painted in mild pastel colours. Raising the house on stumps meant the under floor area could be used for an old form of refrigeration. A net would hang from under the house, away from the sun, drenched in water. Meats and milk could be stored there for short periods of time (up to a day or two) and kept relatively cool. Floors are generally wooden throughout the house, as is the rest of the construction. Windows are often louvred to allow for air circulation during Queensland's frequent rainstorms, frosted to diffuse and soften the harsh tropical sunlight, or both. Commercial buildings and houses built by wealthier people often feature elaborate
wrought ironthumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content, in comparison to steel, and has fibrous inclusions, known as slag. This is what gives it a "grain" resembling wood, which is visible when it is etched...
ornamentation such as balustrades.
Typically, this design is most suited to the sub-tropical climate of Queensland, an area with average temperatures in the range of 23-36 degrees Celsius, although it is not uncommon for the temperature to be much higher in the Summer.
History
Owing to their simplicity of construction, standardised designs were produced through the 1920s and 1930s. Despite these advantages, tastes changed and the style fell out of favour after the
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The need for cheaper homes first saw large verandahs reduced to small landings. Subsequently internal walls were no longer made of timber and were made of fibreboards, such as asbestos sheeting or fibre/gypsum panels. Additionally, after the war, surplus military earthmoving equipment became common and it was then possible to cheaply prepare sites for construction and the relative cheapness of construction on stumps diminished. These factors led to the adoption in Queensland, as elsewhere, of the ubiquitous "modern" American style, usually single level and usually sold as a combined land and home package. These newer homes are usually made with a timber or metal frame but with a brick veneer.
Ashgrovian
Ashgrovian is the term coined for a variation of the Queenslander built between the late 1920s and
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the suburb of
AshgroveAshgrove can refer to:* Ashgrove, Aberdeen, one of the Areas of Aberdeen, Scotland* Ashgrove, Moray, Scotland* Ashgrove, Bath and North East Somerset, England* Ashgrove, Queensland, Australia* "The Ash Grove", a Welsh folk song...
in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
,
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The term Ashgrovian was coined from the prolific number of these dwellings constructed in the
Interwar periodThe interwar period is understood, within recent Western culture, to be the period between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second World War. This is also called the period between the wars or interbellum....
and was an adaptation of the
BungalowA bungalow is a type of single-story house that originated in India. The word derives from the Gujarati બંગલો baṅgalo, which in turn derives from the Hindi बंगला baṅglā, meaning "Bengali" and used elliptically for a "house in the Bengal style"...
style which was popular in the early parts of the 20th century. Extremely popular with middle-income earners, these dwellings were almost always fronted with a grand gable roof, often surrounded by secondary smaller gables behind. The smaller gables usually sheltered
verandahA verandah or veranda is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
s and sleep-outs. A staircase almost always dominated the front yard leading to the verandah which in later years was commonly filled in to form extra rooms. Other late additions included projecting bay or box seat windows usually centrally located in the front of the house.
Current
Many old Queenslander buildings, both residential and commercial, have been demolished to make way for more modern buildings, particularly in the inner urban area of
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
contributing to Brisbane's
gentrificationGentrification and urban gentrification denote the socio-economic, commercial, and demographic change in an urban area resulting from wealthier people buying housing property in a poor community...
. However, community awareness of urban heritage has seen local governments implement conservation measures to protect the unique 'tin and timber' character of neighbourhoods and towns dominated by Queenslander architecture. While master-planned housing estates are indistinguishable from those in other states, many custom-built homes are designed in a more modern version of the Queenslander style, particularly
holiday houseA 'holiday house', 'holiday home', 'bach' or cottage is a second home or house used as a retreat, typically from city life, for weekends or holiday periods....
s in coastal areas.
Highrise
Some elements of Queenslander house architecture can be found in some highrise buildings. Early highrise buildings had narrow balconies that were mostly used for cleaning the outside of windows. In Queensland, highrise balconies gradually evolved to become wide outdoor living spaces of the quality of
verandahA verandah or veranda is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
s and the back
deckIn architecture, a deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building...
s of Queenslander houses.
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