Postmodern Mint Building

The original Mint Building was constructed between 1811 and 1816 and currently stands as the oldest Public building present in Sydney’s central business district. It was first commissioned by Lachlan Macquarie in 1810 to be used as the southern wing of the Sydney hospital. Although the architect is unknown the architectural characteristics belongs to that of early 19th Century British colonial military architecture with designs loosely based on ancient Greek architecture due to its two tier columns and Doric mouldings (See FIGURE 1.1). This architectural style was continual throughout many government buildings at the time and stood as the foundation for the Federation style architecture (see FIGURE 1.2) which swept Australia in the late 19th Century, becoming one of the most significant periods of architecture in Australian history. Between its initial opening in 1816 and 1855 there were many changes in use such as a hospital wing, working offices for the hospital and the military, and accommodation for the Principal Surgeon and for the assistant surgeon of the hospital at the time. A medical dispensary was opened …show more content…
Whereby the contemporary architectural style is constrained by the footprint of the pre-existing buildings to ensure that the redevelopment doesn’t introduce new elements to the site but showcases the old through a postmodern balance of fine details, such as the carefully constructed joints around existing sandstone work (see FIGURE 1.5) and the integrated walkways that run above the foundation of the old factory floor (see FIGURE 1.6). The outcome of the main objectives achieved by the redevelopment of the Mint building show the contrast of two very different architectural forms that whereby the two buildings side by side are celebrated together. This creates a sense of unity and continuity throughout the entire site (see FIGURE

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