The Magistrates Court (Fig. 1)
History of the Architecture
The Magistrates Court (Fig.1) is located on the corner of Russell St. and La Trobe St., Melbourne, Victoria. It is designed by George B.H. Austin and constructed by the Swanston Brothers around 1911-1913[1] and is refurbished in 2002 by the architect Peter Elliott to be used for RMIT University's purposes[2]. In Fig. 2, the plan of the design is shown. The spaces are rectangular and overall it forms an L-shape. Its original function is a Court of Petty Sessions. The Court of Petty Sessions deal with a wide range of cases such as administrative breach, minor criminal activities, civil cases and commitment of wrongdoings[3]. To accommodate this function, it consists of three courtrooms: the City Court and District …show more content…
4, it would appear to be a normal medium sized building.
The building is grand. Its door and window frame elaborately decorated with half columns which holds up semicircular arches with zigzag patterns. The columns are short, they do not extend to the top of the level. The shaft is smooth and cylindrical and the capital is tapered. These zigzag patterns are also commonly known as chevron patterns[7]. According to the Penguin Dictionary of Architecture[8], chevron molding is a common characteristic of Romanesque architecture, likewise is the dominant use of semicircular arches[9]. Romanesque architecture designs a building in a way that it communicates glory and might to the society through height, light, and mass[10]. These are features that complement the court considering that it deals with legal practices, the foundations of cities.
Height
The building is two storey tall. The roofing have towers, turrets, and gabled roofs that extend above to create a towering and imposing atmosphere to the surrounding. The use of stairs on every entrance also strengthen the power of the building as it signifies the hierarchy through …show more content…
"Court History," Magistrates' Court of Victoria, last modified October 9, 2013, http://www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au/about-us/about-court/court-history
6. Goad, Philip. Melbourne architecture. n.p.: Boorowa, N.S.W. : The Watermark Press, 2009., 2009. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
7. Ching, Frank, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash. 2011. A global history of architecture. [electronic resource]. n.p.: Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c2011., 2011. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2015).
8. Fleming, John, Nikolaus Pevsner, and Hugh Honour. The Penguin dictionary of architecture. n.p.: London, England ; New York, N.Y., USA : Penguin Books, 1991., 1991. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
9. Bayard, Emile. The ABC of styles. [electronic resource]. n.p.: New York : Parkstone International, c2012., 2012. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
10. "Building Across East and West: Byzantine & Romanesque Architecture," Echo video, 38:10-51:54, posted by "University of Melbourne," April 21, 2015,
The Magistrates Court (Fig.1) is located on the corner of Russell St. and La Trobe St., Melbourne, Victoria. It is designed by George B.H. Austin and constructed by the Swanston Brothers around 1911-1913[1] and is refurbished in 2002 by the architect Peter Elliott to be used for RMIT University's purposes[2]. In Fig. 2, the plan of the design is shown. The spaces are rectangular and overall it forms an L-shape. Its original function is a Court of Petty Sessions. The Court of Petty Sessions deal with a wide range of cases such as administrative breach, minor criminal activities, civil cases and commitment of wrongdoings[3]. To accommodate this function, it consists of three courtrooms: the City Court and District …show more content…
4, it would appear to be a normal medium sized building.
The building is grand. Its door and window frame elaborately decorated with half columns which holds up semicircular arches with zigzag patterns. The columns are short, they do not extend to the top of the level. The shaft is smooth and cylindrical and the capital is tapered. These zigzag patterns are also commonly known as chevron patterns[7]. According to the Penguin Dictionary of Architecture[8], chevron molding is a common characteristic of Romanesque architecture, likewise is the dominant use of semicircular arches[9]. Romanesque architecture designs a building in a way that it communicates glory and might to the society through height, light, and mass[10]. These are features that complement the court considering that it deals with legal practices, the foundations of cities.
Height
The building is two storey tall. The roofing have towers, turrets, and gabled roofs that extend above to create a towering and imposing atmosphere to the surrounding. The use of stairs on every entrance also strengthen the power of the building as it signifies the hierarchy through …show more content…
"Court History," Magistrates' Court of Victoria, last modified October 9, 2013, http://www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au/about-us/about-court/court-history
6. Goad, Philip. Melbourne architecture. n.p.: Boorowa, N.S.W. : The Watermark Press, 2009., 2009. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
7. Ching, Frank, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash. 2011. A global history of architecture. [electronic resource]. n.p.: Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c2011., 2011. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2015).
8. Fleming, John, Nikolaus Pevsner, and Hugh Honour. The Penguin dictionary of architecture. n.p.: London, England ; New York, N.Y., USA : Penguin Books, 1991., 1991. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
9. Bayard, Emile. The ABC of styles. [electronic resource]. n.p.: New York : Parkstone International, c2012., 2012. UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE's Catalogue, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
10. "Building Across East and West: Byzantine & Romanesque Architecture," Echo video, 38:10-51:54, posted by "University of Melbourne," April 21, 2015,