No hope of ‘GC timeless’ if we just pursue trends
GOLD Coast, have we lost our style?
Actually, it’s arguable that we ever had it.
I’m not talking about the people on the street, but the houses. Stroll down any neighbourhood lane and you’ll see 50 shades of suburbia.
While Brisbane has its classic Queenslanders, Melbourne its colonial manors and Sydney its terraces, the Gold Coast has … fibro shacks full of asbestos?
As a city built as a haven for holiday homes, our architectural heritage is more sand than sandstone. Beach shacks for vacationing Brisbanites were knocked together as quickly and cheaply as possible; these second homes were a place for rest and relaxation, not to display grandmother’s heirlooms.
Over the last decades, as we’ve become the place that everyone wants to call their permanent home, those fibro cottages have been sacrificed for … whatever is in fashion at the time.
Look, those shacks were meant for a good time, not a long time – but we never took a moment to think about what we wanted in their place.
As a result our neighbourhoods are filled with an array of architectural delights … such as the 1970s Brick S***house, the Glass Brick Edifice of the 80s, and the Pastel Rainbow Render of the 90s.
The 2000s were especially interesting; at the start of the millennium it seems our homes were designed to look like actual tourists – this one came from Tuscany, that one from Spain, maybe one from Mexico; the whole world was literally at our doorstep.
Even now, we’re still stealing styles from around the globe, although mainly America. Witness the rise of the Hamptons Beach House or the Palm Springs midcentury model.
I’ll admit that I love both of these designs, they do at least suit our climate and environment. But I also have little doubt that by 2030, these homes will be looking very 2020.
And, while there’s nothing wrong with staying on trend, it’s a costly procedure to give your home a literal facelift every 10 years.
Besides, surely our city is now of the size and status that we deserve to have a style all our own?
And that style should apply to our buildings as well. Not that every home or high-rise should be homogenous, but there should be some form of non-compulsory Gold Coast character to which they can choose to adhere.
Because currently, our buildings are suffering the same fate as our homes … they stick so closely to trends that they can never be timeless. And instead of receiving a facelift, they’re often demolished to build something “better” … and usually bigger.
Witness the demolition last year of the nine-level Aspect on Burleigh tower – built just 17 years ago by Mimi Macpherson, the sister of Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson. In its place will be Natura, a luxury 17-level project.
Of course, it’s incredibly difficult to build something “timeless” when all we’ve ever had is trends.
So let’s look to those buildings and designs that work … like The Wave at Broadbeach, which speaks to our city’s ever-changing nature, or the design for the touted development at Nobby’s Beach – the Oxley and the Frederick – which pay tribute to beloved buildings from our city’s past.
When it comes to our built environment – whether residential or commercial, whether low- or high-density – what makes a structure Very GC?
To me, it’s about being open to our amazing environment … outdoor spaces, walls of glass that can slide away to bring the outside in, casual spaces that welcome sandy feet, pops of colour that speak to our personality.
Like our residents, our homes and high-rises should be approachable, not aloof.
I would happily allow the council to use my rates to sponsor a style study for our city. Because what we spend in the short term will surely save us in the long run when we don’t have to renovate or detonate out-of-vogue veneers in our village.
And let’s face it, saving money is a trend we can all get behind.