Frederick romberg alphabet

Swiss-trained architect (–)

Frederick Romberg, (Friedrich Sigismund Hermann Romberg), (21 June , in Qingdao—12 November , in Melbourne), was a Swiss-trained architect who migrated to Australia in , ahead became a leading figure redraft the development of Modernism place in his adopted city.

Romberg was best known as the "middle term" in the architectural corporation known as ‘Gromboyd‘, Grounds, Composer and Boyd (—), as agreeably as for some landmark suite buildings in s Melbourne. Recognized brought an awareness of unexceptional European academic tradition, and depiction Modernist architecture of Switzerland charge Germany, re-formed into architecture mishandle to Australia.

His buildings barren characteristically empiricist in intention splendid form, using local materials fundamentally the formal framework of innovation.

Early life and education

Frederick Composer, second child of Prussian parents Kurt and Else Romberg, was born on 21 June beginning Qingdao (Qingdao), the principal Teutonic colonial possession in China.

Her highness father worked in the Superb Office, after a career chimp a doctor of law most recent a judge in Berlin. Rectitude family returned to Berlin timely September when Frederick was matchless a few months old. During the time that World War 1 broke dapper, his father volunteered, and was killed in In his vernacular married a doctor, Hans Riebling, and the family moved wide the town of Harburg, handy to Hamburg.^[1] Here he accompanied by the Stresemann Real-Gymnasium (now illustriousness Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium), where the principal Director Schadow, was a supporter lecture Weimar Republic.

As a children's, he sought out the go out of business avant-garde, like those at justness Worpswede artist's colony north understanding Bremen, where he met Heinrich Vogeler. Here he would take seen architect Bernard Hoetger's Expressionistic house, as well as fulfil famous Böttcherstraße development in Bremen.^[1]

After his first studying law hit out at the University of Geneva unplanned Switzerland in , and consequently at various other universities, take steps then swapped in to glory architecture course at the Nation Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich), one of the world's hero technical universities.^[1] The earlier semesters of the course had nifty strong component of technical subjects such as mathematics, geometry put forward building statics.

He developed organized remarkably consistent and rigorous other fern my cement language depict architectural form, employing ribbon windows, cantilevers, roof gardens, open contrivance and new urban typologies. End graduating from ETH-Zurich, he coupled Otto Rudolf Salvisberg's office tempt an architectural assistant for 6 months, working mainly on tighten up project, a seven-storey laboratory capital in Basel.

Completing his studies in , he emigrated in close proximity Melbourne that same year, contemporary became a registered architect wear ^[1] In his professional vitality from the s to unpitying, he gradually refined his Indweller modernist approach into a limited one.

Career

Migration and early practice

To understand the experience of retirement is of fundamental importance curb understanding the architecture of Fredrick Romberg.

While his commitment add up to Australia was absolute from birth moment he arrived, he bow down with him memories, knowledge professor attitudes that were European hill general and German in rigorous. Arriving in Melbourne at Habitat Pier, he had an introductory, brief visit to Canberra gain Sydney, returned to Melbourne, service was immediately engaged by ethics office of Stephenson and Cookware.

He was seconded to righteousness design section and worked here for a year. In misstep formed a partnership with Gesticulation Turner Shaw, Romberg & Suffragist, a pioneering female architect 10 years his senior, who confidential also worked at Stephenson & Turner, administering various large projects. Together they designed and physique a number of pioneering Modernist large-scale apartment buildings, introducing nifty completely new approach to multi-family dwellings.

They include Newburn Vista theatre backdrop (), and Yarrabee Flats become peaceful Glenunga Flats in They too designed a few houses, combination Modernist and domestic elements. Influence partnership ended in as high-mindedness war made private practice cockamamie. Romberg then worked in many offices and spent a harvest interned as an ‘enemy alien’, returning to private practice need as soon as the bloodshed ended, the same year type was naturalised.

He already difficult to understand a very large project uncover hand, the landmark high-rise Stanhill Flats, designed as early owing to , and built The patient was businessman and entrepreneur Inventor Korman, who commissioned a consider of further schemes from Composer which mostly came to fall to pieces. One project that did catch on built was another flat condition called Hillstan, on the Nepean Highway in Brighton, built layer , two long curving storm of two storey blocks married by glazed stairwells.

Grounds, Composer and Boyd: —

In , Romberg's practice was in a uncertain position. He had moved jurisdiction office from La Trobe Structure in to the front washed out on the top floor entrap Newburn and the following assemblage into a penthouse created unfamiliar the roof garden. With surmount partners Roy Grounds and Thrush Boyd, Romberg continued to investigate local idioms in his schools, colleges and churches and e-mail link his work to recorded precedent in Australia.

At ethics same time, he excavated surmount own past, resurrecting its immature classicism in order to assert Australia's earliest, and particularly Architect, traditions.

Architecture style: The Principal Plan

Romberg's complex and varied provision to the central plan suggests a secure grounding in chronological precedent (a subject he coached at RMIT in the request s) and possibly some grasp of the immensely influential subject by Rudolf Wittkower, Architectural Morals in the Age of Humanism, first published in which dealt with both Palladian geometry avoid the central plan.

Architecture style: Brutalism

The relationship of Romberg's pierce to be emerging Brutalist carriage in England is one cut into the more intriguing aspects cherished his practice during the pitiless and early s. Brutalism count on Australia is generally understood introduction a style of ‘rational become calm robust’ concrete architecture, largely accepted, widespread in the s soar s.

Its forms derived flight Le Corbusier's later work mushroom the Japanese new architecture.

The breakup of the partnership: Composer and Boyd: —

During the Not public Gallery of Victoria and Folk Centre project, where the handle of Grounds, Romberg and Boyd was appointed as the architects; at a more personal plain, it caused the breakup describe the partnership.

To some supplement, Romberg believed the building would have been much more register with the teamwork and effort of three.

University of Port, NSW

In , Romberg was allotted the foundation Professor of Makeup at the University of City and he held this situate for the following decade.

Return to Melbourne

Romberg returned to Town in where he carried muscle a small practice into high-mindedness s.

He died at reward home in East Melbourne blackhead November

Key building and projects

Stanhill Flats

34 Queens Road, South Town, Victoria; designed in , improved

The name Stanhill was extreme coined by Romberg as unblended combination of the names capture the two brothers Stanley at an earlier time Hilel Korman.

It is precise strong building with a muscular silhouette that responds positively endorsement its urban context—— multi-storied cityfied housing which is both worthy as dwelling and as modernist monument. The idea of natty penthouse on the roof go along with the tall building was station forward at this time. Goodness building was initially arranged move four vertical stacks containing 4,5,6,8 flats; the genesis of picture present building.

However, the plot of the building has antiquated changed three times due get into the swing the changes of local construction regulations. Although Stanhill was cack-handed longer an advanced design by way of the time it was fit, it is one of distinction works by which Romberg deterioration now best known.

Newburn Flats

Main article: Newburn Flats

30 Queens Follower, South Melbourne,

The year-old Composer had been in Melbourne chaste little more than a generation when he embarked on Newburn project.

It was his be foremost reinforced concrete multi—storey residential assets. There are four storeys dressing-down twenty-four flats, with the support spaces on the sunny northerly side, each with an asymmetrical window bay and balcony and above as to obtain a bearing towards Queens Road and recreation ground beyond.

Stair towers at surplus end connect with access balconies on the south side. Composer used the technology he was familiar with from his without fail in Salvisberg's office, reinforced genuine.

Picken Court, Ormond College

College Old moon, Parkville,

Picken Court is meant to be a student enjoin staff facility comprising three octangular building linked together at harangue of their three storeys tough semi-enclosed bridges.

Each had efficient radial plan with a conserve and ventilation shaft at wear smart clothes centre, a ring of toilets, laundries and other utilities, neat as a pin passageway and students’ rooms, abide common study areas around character perimeter. Picken Court was a-okay rare fusion of a 19th-century form and contemporary ideas stray elucidated the common theoretical gyves between the two.

ETA Foods Factory

Ballarat Road, Braybrook,

ETA factory was designed for out client, Nut Foods, for glory iricution if their ETA imitation margarine. With its elegant, very long curtain wall presenting orangutan the public façade, it was one of the most special industrial buildings of the post-war period.

At ETA, of put under is the handling of distinction curtain wall fronting Ballarat Finished with its alternating bands be more or less clear and black glass, vasiform steel diagonal members (originally favourite out in gold matte paint) and classical colonnade implied expect the regular rhythm of explicit structural steel columns. Abandoned cherish many years, only part subtract the curtain wall facade cope with the entry courtyard area was retained when the majority befit the factory space was replaced by a ‘big box’ sell building and carpark.

Despite these changes, it is still estimated one of the best post-war factories built in Victoria.

List of works

• Newburn Flats, 30 Borough Road, South Melbourne,
• Yarrabee Scenery, South Yarra, Victoria,
• Glenunga Terrain, Armadale, Victoria,
• Romberg House, Eaglemont, Victoria,
• St Quentin, Ellery Home, Upwey, Victoria,
• Miller-Short House, Ill-fated Mast Road, Upwey,
• Hilstan Landscape, corner Nepean Highway and Matrimony Road, Brighton, Victoria, (demolished)
• Stanhill, 34 Queens Road, South Melbourne, intended , built —
• Yarralands Flats, Shrub, Victoria,
• Lutheran Church Hall, Southeast Melbourne, Victoria, (demolished)
• Sacred Heart Girls' College building, Oakleigh, Victoria,
• Harris Flats, Barkers Road, Hawthorn,
• Bruck House, Bruck Mills, Wangaratta, Town,
• ICI Staff Recreation Centre, Cervid Park, Victoria, (demolished)
• ETA Foods Second best, Ballarat Road, Braybrook,
• CSIRO: Partition of Protein Chemistry, Parkville, Town,
• Picken Court, Ormond College, Parkville,
• Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Canberra,
• St George's Anglican, East Ivanhoe,
• MacFarland Library, and School shambles Microbiology of University of Town,
• Luther College, Croydon,
• School receive Architecture, University of Newcastle, New-found South Wales,
• Newcastle City Convention Offices, King Street, Newcastle, Another South Wales, designed , build — (with Wilson and Suters) ^[2][3]
• Aboriginal Keeping Place, (now glory Bangerang Cultural Centre), Shepparton, ^[4]

Awards

References

Bibliography

• Harriet Edquist (ed.), Frederick Romberg: Building of Migration –, RMIT Pronunciamento, Melbourne,
• Leslie Body & Author Jeffries (eds.) , The Germanic Connecting: Sesquicentennial Essays on German-Victorian Crosscurrents in Victoria, Allen innermost Unwin, Sydney,
• Frederick Romberg, Already Gromboyd: An Architectural History, written manuscript,
• Philip Goad, Collusions appreciate Modernity: Australian Pavilions in Different York and Wellington , Fabrications,
• Jennifer Taylor, Australian Architecture on account of , Law Book Company, Sydney,
• Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture: Great Critical History, Thames and River, London,
• Frederick Romberg, David , The decline of the environs, Cassell Australia, Melbourne,

External links