Davina Jackson’s history of Australian ‘ architecture’ takes a long bow, starting with the FirstAustralians’ shelter typologies, as recorded by the First Fleet when landing in Sydney’s Botany Bay in May 20 1789 to 2020, two years to the date of the book being published.
It is an encyclopedic work, compressed into about three hundred pages and sensibly divided over ten chapters that represent in principle, distinguishable changes to architectural style and the changing and evolving, architectural thinking that pervaded a particular period of Australian history.
A time span of over two hundred years may seen daunting but you don’t have to be an architect to enjoy this book. The chapters are relatively short and well-illustrated with photographs of places and buildings being referred to in the text. It is about ‘who did what’, what were or who were, the influencers – political, social, and economic, within Australia or beyond its borders…
For most readers, the overall context – political, social economic may be well known. How they influenced architectural inputs and how the architects themselves responded, is the main thread of this book. The general reader would find that of interest and value, in gaining an overview and a comprehensive understanding in these pages, of the evolving Australian architectural landscape whilst for further detail of these moments of history, the book can be a key-stone for further research and further information about the actors and the social and economic conditions of the time, now broadly available in on-line digital media.
Dr Devina Jackson’s history of Australian Architecture reveals the richness and diversity ofarchitecture in Australia. It exposes the broad spectrum of talent of Australian Architects, itsmodest yet creative beginnings, inclusive of the first convict architects such as James Bloodworth (builder) and Francis Greenway, to the most contemporary luminaries many of whom are practicing, today within a global architectural discourse on design and meaning set against the ever present political , social and economic landscape and in our day, an evolved response to sustainability and climate.
Review by Sasha Ivanovich, FIA Registered Architect NSW, WA, Victoria
