Melbourne architecture deserves the separate attention of tourists, and there are a great number of sites worth visiting in the beautiful, modern city. One of such recommended sites is the Crown Casino that was built in 1994 – it is a giant glass construction on the western bank of the Yarra river bank. There was much debate about the construction of this casino because of the deeply negative attitude to gambling and because of multiple projects and tenders offered by Crown and Pacific/Leighton (Dovey, p. 58). The proposals for construction were presented starting from 1979 but were supported and launched into action only in 1989 due to the evident decline in tourism and the necessity of urgent measures (Dovey, p. 58).
The investment planned for the Crown Casino was about $800 million, and the complete building represented a 200-tables casino and a 25-storeyed hotel (Dovey,. , p. 58). It was supposed to have a set of ancillary features: rooftop gardens, showroom, ballroom, glass-enclosed Ferris wheel, and roller coaster, and the “Australian Experience” theme park (Dovey, p. 58). It was planned in the mainstream of urban design. The architects who worked on its creation are Bates Smart, Perrot Lyon, Mathieson, and Daryl Jackson (Melbourne Casino, 2010).
“This famous casino is an architectural spectacle, built by multiple architects, one of whom was Daryl Jackson, an award-winning architect. The casino…immediately became one of the central features of the southern banks of Melbourne” (Crown Casino Melbourne, 2010).
Unfortunately, upon the completion of construction, the Crown Casino faced much criticism due to the intent of the building and the external design as well. The most common opinion about it was that it was crass, too ordinary, and devoid of good taste. There were also claims that the exterior of the Crown Casino embodied the maximum of architectural clichés of the 1980s and 1990s (Dovey, p. 59). The place has nonetheless become the symbol of renewed Melbourne with gambling, risky, glimmering traits. It is nowadays considered one of the most luxurious and posh places in the city. It is a hybrid by the architectural style, combining a set of types and forms; this characteristic is mostly predetermined by its universal application thereof:
“It is a hotel, a shopping mall, a restaurant strip, a collection of gambling halls, a parking garage, an entertainment center with nightclubs, movie theatres and bars, and a health camp. Like channel-surfing television, the transfer from one experience to another is seamless-all is packaged in one giant container” (Melbourne Casino, 2010).
The whole construction of the Crown Casino stretches for 500 meters along the bank of the Yarra River. To soften the impact of such a grand building, it was designed in programmatic expression subdividing it into functional areas. Cubic pylons subdivide the façade into nine bays; the casino has a rational linear diagram. The King Street Bridge “intrudes” into the building right in its middle, separating it into two parts. As for the overall construction of the hotel, its 39 floors are also designed in an elegant, elliptic form – the building is hoisted at the roof and clasped by black columns in its foundation (Melbourne Casino, 2010).
The internal structure of the hotel is also subdivided into structural zones: the elegant Crystal Club separates higher and lower level zones. Besides, there are two service towers located at both sides of the building (Melbourne Casino, 2010). All these features with the traditional interior of the beginning of the 20th century give the charm and attractiveness to the Crown Casino building, making it a true example of Melbourne architecture.
References
Crown Casino Melbourne 2010, The Victoria Hotel Melbourne, Web.
Dovey, K 2005, Fluid city: transforming Melbourne’s urban waterfront, Routledge, 2005.
Melbourne Casino 2010, Interior Design Awards, Web.