In a city which celebrates the importance of history in so many ways, there are monuments to some truly poor architectural planning in Ballarat.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Those buildings and public spaces that, for want of imagination, time, money or will, add little to the aesthetic or cultural heritage of the city.
Some reflect a period where the Victorian inheritance left after the boom of the 1880s was not valued as it is today, and demolition was more commonplace.
Some are buildings that fail to be sympathetic to that Victorian history, and proclaim their self-importance. Some are cheap.
A modern approach to architecture in a city like Ballarat gives consideration to context, according to a local architectural practice.
A new building can identify itself as contemporary but needs to still be sympathetic to the 150-plus years that surround it.
As Ballarat enters a new round of development with the proposed BWEZ, growth zones, Ballarat railway Station and the Eureka Stadium, we look at some of the less glorious aspects of architecture in town.
Can we learn from our past mistakes?
There are some triumphs of new architecture in the city, of course.
The new Ballarat Aquatic Centre is a marvel. But any building centred around a body of water will usually work. The Museum of Australian Democracy is a landmark.
What needs to be considered are the new infill buildings in the CBD, new shopping centres in the growth zones – the relationship between the built city and its inhabitants. It’s a conversation a mature and vibrant city needs to have.
HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW