Royal Exhibition Building Graphic Analysis

The high, open space of the interior lets the volume appear spacious and wide. The nonexistence of permanent walls and the open roof, held up by exposed wooden trusses, enhances the effect of the vastness in the hall. The space is ordered through the positioning of wooden square columns in alignment with the beams of the frames, giving again, a sense of order and structure.

Context & Function

fig. 1 Photograph of soutch elevation

THE ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING

The Royal Exhibition Building, originally named the Melbourne International Exhibition Building, is one of the most significant buildings in Melbourne as it is one of the few remaining buildings from the exhibition movement worldwide and is the only UNESCO World Heritage listed building in the country. At the time, the complex designed by Jonathan Reed was the largest building in Australia and the highest peak in Melbourne, allowing the people standing on the viewing platform to overlook the growing young settlement. The Great Hall that is still standing in the Carlton Gardens today is only a 10th of the original complex which was built in order to host the 1880 World Exhibition. With its large and welcoming entrance porticos, the building was and still is a space of social interaction and public events.

Form The Great Hall is cruciform in plan (see fig.2), consisting of long rectangular wings reaching out to the east and west, a transept facing north and a shortened transept facing south, originally representing the main entrance to the complex. The overall composition of the site in itself is symmetrical due to the repetitive exterior horizontal composition of all four wings and despite minor variations in the measurements of the porticos, north and south being wider than east and west, the general appearance of the building suggests harmony and order. The four porticos on either side, dominate the respective elevation, by showing distinctive features such as semicircular fanlights.

fig.2 Exhibition Building ca. 1890

In the 19th century Australia gained wealth through the gold rush, resulting in Melbourne becoming one of the largest and well-known settlements of the new colony . Concurrently, International Exhibitions were held around the world in order to display goods, technologies and new innovations, but also to cater for a space to exchange ideas and culture.

While demonstrating the achievements of the new fig 3. The International Exhibition Building in the top right corner in context to the city of age, the industrial revolu- 1880 tion resulted in one of the greatest transformative movements in society. Wanting to establish its participation in the developing new world, and express its wealth, the government granted a new Exhibition Building in 1878 . The International Exhibition was then hosted in the newly built Great Hall, its annexes and non-permanent wooden structures resulting in a complex covering 22 acres .

The location was chosen close to the existing centre of the town on an elevated area with plenty of

Planning & Construction After the bill was passed to finance a new exhibition building and planning commenced for an International Exhibition in Melbourne in 1880, the design and construction of the new building had to be simple and easy as well as fast to realise. Catering for this demand the plan of Reed utilises materials typical for the 19th century.

The base is built of bluestone, the main body consists of bricks.

The roof as well as the dome (see fig.4) is supported by a wooden framework, and is covered with steel and slate. Doors and windows are all made of timber. The typology of the resulting Exhibition Building is unique in Melbourne, as there is no comparable structure to be found. It was part of an international compilation of buildfig. 4 The dome being under construction ings, scattered all over the world.

Emma Kelly, 950391

An impression one can receive from the Royal Exhibition Building as well is its abstract resemblance with an ancient Greek agora. Its double story and the long galleries with openings in the wall, letting in natural light and the distribution of square timber columns, can remind one of the Stoa of Attalos (see fig.7 and 8).

fig. 5 Skech of the South Elevation fig. 8 Photograph of the Collonades of the Stoa of Attalos

Style One of the most influential aspects in the development of the design may have been Reed’s Journeys to Europe in the mid-century. The outcome is a compilation of different stylistic elements of varying epochs. Combining classical architectural elements, as well as contemporary examples, the design largely derives from the Rundbogenstil which incorporates elements of European architectural history , but also evident are classical Greek aspects and characteristics of other exhibition buildings of the 19th century.

The façade is an example of the Rundbogenstil which is defined by its “rigidity of composition, repetition of identical elements and emphasis of direct structural expression” . The repetition of the windows, framed by roman arches and divided by pilasters all around the building comply with the characteristics of this style, forming a framework for the rigidity of the layout. The alignment of the exterior sections with the interior placement of columns and piers conform to the structuring of the whole building.

Elements of classical Greek architecture, for example, can be seen in the design of the western and eastern entry porticoes. The composition framing the entries, strongly reminds one of the front of temples and represents the classical order (see fig. 6), as it consists of Corinthian pilasters, being finished with a top of an entablature, comprising an architrave, frieze and cornice. The large pediment positioned over the top of the entrance and the whole building being constructed on ground level also reminds of ancient Greek temples.

fig. 7 Photograph of the interior of the

Reed also chose to include direct examples of the contemporary design elements of the international exhibition movement, by using fanlights that resemble the ones used in the Crystal Palace for the Exhibition in 1851 (see fig.9) fig. 9 Sketch of fanlight

Furthermore one of the most distinctive features of the building is the timber-framed and double-shelled dome, which is a model of Brunelleschi’s dome on the Florence Cathedral . It is octagonal in its form, its drum springing from a square base, resulting from the intersection of the four arms of the cross plan.

Choosing a design which consists of a diverse utilisation of architectural elements reflects the values held by the International Exhibition Movement. A compilation of ideas and expressing these resulting in something new and innovative is visualised in the creation of the building.

Additionally the imitation of Greek features suggested in the appearance of the building, and the simplicity of the elements identify it as a building of and for the people rather than a homage to the sublime or extensively decorated government buildings. Still serving its original purpose, the Royal Exhibition Building was, is and will be a cultural centre of the city of Melbourne. fig. 6 Sketch of detail of western entrance

Emma Kelly, 950391