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Decoration holds a contested position in built environment scholarship. Largely marginalised by Modernist claims of material and structural integrity, decoration is often sidelined as the most temporal and superficial of built environment practices. A common misunderstanding is that decoration and interior design merely make built space fashionable. The thesis challenges the misconception of interior design as gratuitous embellishment, and demonstrates how a reconsideration of the term ‘decoration’ makes new insights available for both contemporary practice and scholarship in interior design. I contend that if decoration can be considered a vehicle through which ideas, such as the cultural veneration of appearances and the social motivations of fashion are explored, it can be understood as representative of contemporary cultural concerns.

Decoration holds a contested position in built environment scholarship. Largely marginalised by Modernist claims of material and structural integrity, decoration is often sidelined as the most temporal and superficial of built environment practices. A common misunderstanding is that decoration and interior design merely make built space fashionable. The thesis challenges the misconception of interior design as gratuitous embellishment, and demonstrates how a reconsideration of the term ‘decoration’ makes new insights available for both contemporary practice and scholarship in interior design. I contend that if decoration can be considered a vehicle through which ideas, such as the cultural veneration of appearances and the social motivations of fashion are explored, it can be understood as representative of contemporary cultural concerns.

Includes 2 previously published journal articles by the author: Women in architecture: a personal reflection ; and, "Half the sky, but no room of her own", as appendices. Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-251) An examination of some texts influential in the discourse of Australian architecture in the twentieth century. Explores from a feminist standpoint the gendered nature of discourse in contemporary Western architecture from an Australian perspective. The starting point for the thesis was an examination of Australian architectual discourse in search of some explanation for the continuing low numbers of women practitioners in Australia. Hypothesizes that contemporary Western architecture is imbued with a pervasive and dominant masculinity and that this is deeply imbedded in its discursive constructions: the body housed by architecture is assume to be male, the mind which produces architecture is assumed to be masculine. Given the cultural location of Australian architecture as a marginal participant in the wider arena of contemporary Western / international discourses, focuses on writing about two iconic figues in Western architecture; Le Corbusier, of international reknown; and, Glenn Murcutt, of predominantly local significance.

In 1879 the British Colony of New South Wales hosted the first international exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. This was immediately followed by the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880 in the colony of Victoria and the success of these exhibitions inspired the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, which was held in 1888 to celebrate the centenary of white settlement in Australia. My thesis is that these international exhibitions had a profound impact on the development of our cities, the evolution of an Australian ethos and the gaining of nationhood. The immense popularity and comprehensive nature of the exhibitions made them the only major events in late nineteenth-century Australia that brought the people together in an almost universally shared experience. The exhibitions conveyed official ideologies from the organising elites to ordinary people and encouraged the dissemination of new cultural sentiments, political aspirations, and moral and educational ideals. Many exhibition commissioners, official observers and ideologues were also predominantly involved in the Federation movement and the wider cultural sphere. The international exhibitions assisted the development of an Australian urban ethos, which to a large extent replaced the older pastoral / frontier image. Many of the more enduring ideas emanating from the exhibitions were physically expressed in the consequent development of our cities ??? particularly Sydney and Melbourne, both of which had achieved metropolitan status and global significance by the end of the nineteenth century. The new urban ethos, dramatically triggered by Sydney 1879, combined with and strengthened the national aspirations and sentiments of the Federation movement. Thus the exhibitions created an immediate connection between colonial pride in urban development and European and American ideals of nation building. They also created an increasing cultural sophistication and a growing involvement in social movements and political associations at the national level. The international exhibitions, more than any other single event, convinced the colonials that they were all Australians together and that their destiny was to be united as one nation. At that time, Australians began to think about national objectives. The exhibitions not only promulgated national sentiment and a new ethos, but also provided opportunities for independent colonial initiatives, inter-colonial cooperation and a more equal position in the imperial alliance. Thus they became a powerful impetus, hitherto unrecognised, for the complex of social, political and economic developments that made Federation possible.

The National Museum of Australia (NMA) (1997- 2001) by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) in association with Robert Peck von Hartel Trethowan was commissioned by the Australian Commonwealth Government for the Centenary of Federation in 2001. It was conceived as a gift to the people of Australia and now stands on Acton Peninsula in Canberra, the nation's Capital. It is a visually complex manifestation of the design architects' (ARM) dialogue with the ambiguities of Australian history and national identity. The architectural realisation of these complexities was facilitated through advances in computer technologies and a complementary non-traditional procurement method, both at the leading edge of Australian architectural practice of the time. Completed three years earlier was probably the most debated work of architecture of the 1990s, the Guggenheim Museum (GMB) (1991-98) in Bilbao, Spain, by Frank O. Gehry and Associates (FOG&A). This satellite museum of the Guggenheim Foundation of New York was heralded as the quintessential example of a kind of architecture only possible because of advances in computer technologies. Both visually complex museums were conceived as flagship projects and consequently share many political, functional, and cultural expectations. Both were procured outside the usual adversarial designer/builder paradigm of western architecture and featured the innovative use of three-dimensional (CAD) software for design, documentation and analysis. The NMA project used a government instigated procurement method which was embraced by a group of design and construction companies who formed a joint venture known as the Acton Peninsula Alliance. This non-traditional or relationship-based procurement method required ARM to reassess their approach to generate and disseminate design data and their traditional relationship with other design and construction professionals. As part of this process, ARM were required to devolve some of their design authority to a project delivery team via a Design Integrity Panel and an Independent Quality Panel; both innovations integral to the Acton Peninsula Alliance. The NMA project reframed many of the enduring professional relationships of Australian architecture and in so doing extended the skill set and expectations of the architects and others to include a more substantial engagement with 3D CAD and a procurement system which was less subject to many of the common impediments inherent in the more traditional processes. Through a series of interviews with the architects and other stakeholders, a qualitative methodology was used to investigate the NMA as a case study which uses the GMB as an internationally recognised comparison. This thesis examines how these two projects have been successfully completed within time and budgetary constraints in an environment where flagship projects have had a history of highly publicised difficulties. It reveals that the successful realisation of the NMA was due to the relationships built or reframed as a result of this cooperative approach in conjunction with high levels of engagement with computer technologies. This is in contrast to the seamless flow of data and high levels of prefabrication integral to the success of the GMB. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1255317 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, 2006.

Includes 2 previously published journal articles by the author: Women in architecture: a personal reflection ; and, "Half the sky, but no room of her own", as appendices. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-251) / [xxiv], 252 p. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / An examination of some texts influential in the discourse of Australian architecture in the twentieth century. Explores from a feminist standpoint the gendered nature of discourse in contemporary Western architecture from an Australian perspective. The starting point for the thesis was an examination of Australian architectual discourse in search of some explanation for the continuing low numbers of women practitioners in Australia. Hypothesizes that contemporary Western architecture is imbued with a pervasive and dominant masculinity and that this is deeply imbedded in its discursive constructions: the body housed by architecture is assume to be male, the mind which produces architecture is assumed to be masculine. Given the cultural location of Australian architecture as a marginal participant in the wider arena of contemporary Western / international discourses, focuses on writing about two iconic figues in Western architecture; Le Corbusier, of international reknown; and, Glenn Murcutt, of predominantly local significance. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, 2003

In 1879 the British Colony of New South Wales hosted the first international exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. This was immediately followed by the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880 in the colony of Victoria and the success of these exhibitions inspired the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, which was held in 1888 to celebrate the centenary of white settlement in Australia. My thesis is that these international exhibitions had a profound impact on the development of our cities, the evolution of an Australian ethos and the gaining of nationhood. The immense popularity and comprehensive nature of the exhibitions made them the only major events in late nineteenth-century Australia that brought the people together in an almost universally shared experience. The exhibitions conveyed official ideologies from the organising elites to ordinary people and encouraged the dissemination of new cultural sentiments, political aspirations, and moral and educational ideals. Many exhibition commissioners, official observers and ideologues were also predominantly involved in the Federation movement and the wider cultural sphere. The international exhibitions assisted the development of an Australian urban ethos, which to a large extent replaced the older pastoral / frontier image. Many of the more enduring ideas emanating from the exhibitions were physically expressed in the consequent development of our cities ??? particularly Sydney and Melbourne, both of which had achieved metropolitan status and global significance by the end of the nineteenth century. The new urban ethos, dramatically triggered by Sydney 1879, combined with and strengthened the national aspirations and sentiments of the Federation movement. Thus the exhibitions created an immediate connection between colonial pride in urban development and European and American ideals of nation building. They also created an increasing cultural sophistication and a growing involvement in social movements and political associations at the national level. The international exhibitions, more than any other single event, convinced the colonials that they were all Australians together and that their destiny was to be united as one nation. At that time, Australians began to think about national objectives. The exhibitions not only promulgated national sentiment and a new ethos, but also provided opportunities for independent colonial initiatives, inter-colonial cooperation and a more equal position in the imperial alliance. Thus they became a powerful impetus, hitherto unrecognised, for the complex of social, political and economic developments that made Federation possible.

The National Museum of Australia (NMA) (1997- 2001) by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) in association with Robert Peck von Hartel Trethowan was commissioned by the Australian Commonwealth Government for the Centenary of Federation in 2001. It was conceived as a gift to the people of Australia and now stands on Acton Peninsula in Canberra, the nation's Capital. It is a visually complex manifestation of the design architects' (ARM) dialogue with the ambiguities of Australian history and national identity. The architectural realisation of these complexities was facilitated through advances in computer technologies and a complementary non-traditional procurement method, both at the leading edge of Australian architectural practice of the time. Completed three years earlier was probably the most debated work of architecture of the 1990s, the Guggenheim Museum (GMB) (1991-98) in Bilbao, Spain, by Frank O. Gehry and Associates (FOG&A). This satellite museum of the Guggenheim Foundation of New York was heralded as the quintessential example of a kind of architecture only possible because of advances in computer technologies. Both visually complex museums were conceived as flagship projects and consequently share many political, functional, and cultural expectations. Both were procured outside the usual adversarial designer/builder paradigm of western architecture and featured the innovative use of three-dimensional (CAD) software for design, documentation and analysis. The NMA project used a government instigated procurement method which was embraced by a group of design and construction companies who formed a joint venture known as the Acton Peninsula Alliance. This non-traditional or relationship-based procurement method required ARM to reassess their approach to generate and disseminate design data and their traditional relationship with other design and construction professionals. As part of this process, ARM were required to devolve some of their design authority to a project delivery team via a Design Integrity Panel and an Independent Quality Panel; both innovations integral to the Acton Peninsula Alliance. The NMA project reframed many of the enduring professional relationships of Australian architecture and in so doing extended the skill set and expectations of the architects and others to include a more substantial engagement with 3D CAD and a procurement system which was less subject to many of the common impediments inherent in the more traditional processes. Through a series of interviews with the architects and other stakeholders, a qualitative methodology was used to investigate the NMA as a case study which uses the GMB as an internationally recognised comparison. This thesis examines how these two projects have been successfully completed within time and budgetary constraints in an environment where flagship projects have had a history of highly publicised difficulties. It reveals that the successful realisation of the NMA was due to the relationships built or reframed as a result of this cooperative approach in conjunction with high levels of engagement with computer technologies. This is in contrast to the seamless flow of data and high levels of prefabrication integral to the success of the GMB. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1255317 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, 2006.

The National Museum of Australia (NMA) (1997- 2001) by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) in association with Robert Peck von Hartel Trethowan was commissioned by the Australian Commonwealth Government for the Centenary of Federation in 2001. It was conceived as a gift to the people of Australia and now stands on Acton Peninsula in Canberra, the nation's Capital. It is a visually complex manifestation of the design architects' (ARM) dialogue with the ambiguities of Australian history and national identity. The architectural realisation of these complexities was facilitated through advances in computer technologies and a complementary non-traditional procurement method, both at the leading edge of Australian architectural practice of the time. Completed three years earlier was probably the most debated work of architecture of the 1990s, the Guggenheim Museum (GMB) (1991-98) in Bilbao, Spain, by Frank O. Gehry and Associates (FOG&A). This satellite museum of the Guggenheim Foundation of New York was heralded as the quintessential example of a kind of architecture only possible because of advances in computer technologies. Both visually complex museums were conceived as flagship projects and consequently share many political, functional, and cultural expectations. Both were procured outside the usual adversarial designer/builder paradigm of western architecture and featured the innovative use of three-dimensional (CAD) software for design, documentation and analysis. The NMA project used a government instigated procurement method which was embraced by a group of design and construction companies who formed a joint venture known as the Acton Peninsula Alliance. This non-traditional or relationship-based procurement method required ARM to reassess their approach to generate and disseminate design data and their traditional relationship with other design and construction professionals. As part of this process, ARM were required to devolve some of their design authority to a project delivery team via a Design Integrity Panel and an Independent Quality Panel; both innovations integral to the Acton Peninsula Alliance. The NMA project reframed many of the enduring professional relationships of Australian architecture and in so doing extended the skill set and expectations of the architects and others to include a more substantial engagement with 3D CAD and a procurement system which was less subject to many of the common impediments inherent in the more traditional processes. Through a series of interviews with the architects and other stakeholders, a qualitative methodology was used to investigate the NMA as a case study which uses the GMB as an internationally recognised comparison. This thesis examines how these two projects have been successfully completed within time and budgetary constraints in an environment where flagship projects have had a history of highly publicised difficulties. It reveals that the successful realisation of the NMA was due to the relationships built or reframed as a result of this cooperative approach in conjunction with high levels of engagement with computer technologies. This is in contrast to the seamless flow of data and high levels of prefabrication integral to the success of the GMB. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1255317 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, 2006.