Outback architecture embraces the outdoors. From the world-famous Sydney Opera House to aboriginal desert huts, Australian architecture rises from the elements while learning from them. In terms of vernacular shelters, barns, sheds, and verandahs often became community centers or places to congregate. These humble beginnings would transform over the following centuries as people began to build for the “Australian dream.” Whether using traditional pisé construction or fabricating wildly new forms, architects began capitalizing upon historical building methods and reinterpreting them.
Australia's modern architecture has diverse roots. Grounded in designs like the famous Sydney Opera House, the country’s contemporary projects are radically embracing new aesthetic ideas. Moving beyond traditional pisé construction to create articulated forms, modern designs are emerging as multicultural hybrids both derivative and imported in nature. Exemplifying this dynamic, Australian education projects reinterpret vernacular architecture to embody contemporary culture. Representative of a design language that’s uniquely Australian, these projects build off the continent-nation’s history to create space for learning, recreation and reflection.
Penthouses embody how form is following finance. As their own sector of the luxury real estate market, these spaces are often reserved for the richest clients and investors. From heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post's iconic 54-room mansion in the sky, to top-floor units in mid-rise developments, penthouse designs have been continuously reimagined to take architecture and interior design to new heights.