The story goes that Frank Lloyd Wright upon entering a Las Vegas style casino for the first time, remarked on the architecture with those same words. Maybe it's more myth, than any amount of truth. I hope my photographs give you that same feeling of disorientation and bemusement. The plan is to abstract the crap out of architecture I like and throw in non-academic, pop culture infused musings whilst I'm at it.
The new School of Economics and Commerce building part of The University of Melbourne was designed by Metier3 Architects [link]. Looking much like the cross section of a multi-tiered lamington [link], if the filler was the result of a Rorschach inkblot test [link] instead of cake batter goodness. The buidling was opened in 2009.
The waterfront carousel pavillion located on the Geelong foreshore, was designed by McGlashan
Everist Architects [link] and completed in 2002 cutting a striking figure. The roof feels like the result of if the Sydney Opera House [link] was a cheaply made umbrella, caught in an sudden up gust of wind well beyond it's designed load limts.
and the Brutalist upside-down building in the Geelong CBD have in common ? They all formed a part of my childhood and to varying degrees involve pyramids in various states of disrepair.
No you didn't just see another one of Filip Dujardin's [link] Brutalist, Josef Shultz [link] inspired, Photoshopped to the hilt master pieces, this shit is the real deal. You probably didn't see it also because we are talking about Geelong here. Yeah that place you go through on your way to your chosen surfing/sightseeing destination (although now with the new ring road in place, that should be corrected to bypass). Given the latest trend in upside-down buildings exhibit A,B,C,D, E and F [link], The upside down building, completed in 1968 is clearly the chicken in the chicken/egg equation. It's as close to starchitecture as Geelong has ever gotten or will likely get although the Geelong Regional Library designed by ARM Architecture will soon be giving it some run for it's money [link]. The concrete structure grounds it well, with the immediate surroundings, while the loading ribs giving the viewer a strange sense of safety, when fully under the belly, such that it's somewhat feel less likely to crumble on top of oneself with them in place.
NOTE: Does anyone actually know the starchitect who designed this building? Unlike popular belief would hold, Google did not have the answer. God help us all. Crowd sources unite! Whilst on the topic of crowd sourcing should upside down be hyphenated?
POST NOTE: Thanks to crowd sourcing the Architects of the project that was commissioned by Geelong Regional Planning was Buchan laird & Buchan (now the Buchan Group [link])
