Discusses the quality of the architecture of the Sydney Opera House, its use as a concert hall, design by Jorn Utzon and continuation by Peter Hall.Typewritten, quarto, (carbon copy), 10 pages. A second copy has pencil edits and additions. (Two copies)sydney opera house, jorn utzon, peter hall, william davis hughes, exterior shells, concert hall, pier luigi nervi, buckminster fuller, eero saarinen, nikolaus pevsner, robin boyd, manuscript

Discusses Australia Square in Sydney; its plan, structure, materials and artworks (tapestries and sculptures by Le Corbusier, Vasarely and Calder).Original manuscript of an article published as 'Australia Square: Circle in the Square' in "Architectural Forum", Vol. 130, No.3, April 1969, pp.26 - 35.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 4 pagesaustralia square, sydney, harry seidler, plaza, pier luigi nervi, tapestry, sculpture, le corbusier, vasarely, calder, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd discusses the role of Sydney and its Strategic Plan. He touches on floor space ratio but focuses on the goal of enticing residents to return to the inner city as the real challenge of the plan.Original manuscript of the article ‘Sydney’s Sneaky Strategic Plan’, published in The Sunday Australian, 15.8.1971.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 11 pagesThe last page is a redraft of the third last page.sydney, strategic plan for sydney, urbanisation, decentralisation, city, suburbs, master plan, harry seidler, floor space ratio, inner city residential, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd outlines the history of Canberra's design and construction. He argues that Canberra's strength is its planning and axially-based landscaping, but that it lacks the buildings which make the Le Corbusier's Chandigarh interesting. Boyd is highly critical of Chandigarh as an urban environment and concludes that for non-architects, planning and connection to nature is more important than buildings.Original manuscript published as 'Canberra Master Plan: Walter Burley Griffin' in World Architecture 4, John Donat (ed.), Viking Press 1967, pp 202-205.Typewritten (p/copy), quarto, 6 pageswalter burley griffin, canberra, john overall, lake burley griffin, oscar niemeyer, le corbusier, chandigarh, city beautiful, garden city, urban planning, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd explores the evolution of Australia's architecture and the constant search for an 'Australian' style of architecture. Influences includes the isolation of Australia, natural resources that would require experimentation in order to make it buildable, and most importantly the imports and exports of foreign material that increased the building boom. Comparisons of Australian's architecture landscape to USA and Sweden in his commentary aims to reflect Australia's dilemma to search for an architectural identity.Original manuscript published as 'Architecture in Australia’ in Texas Quarterly Vol. 5, No 2, Summer 1962, pp 61-76.Typewritten (p/copy), quarto, 11 (+title page) pagesrobert haddon, harold desbrowe annear, 'antipodean isolation', sweden, california, housing, australian architecture, natural resources, building boom, american architecture, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd comments on Australian life and culture in the first half of the twentieth century up until 1959. He reflects on changes - is it progress? - from the pastoral to the industrial, briefly on housing and construction, and emphasises US influences in design (especially cars) and politics, and the lingering, conservative influence of the UK. Robin Boyd wrote this article anonymously. He was a member of the 'Round Table', a English based group on imperial and commonwealth matters.Original manuscript of an article published in The Round Table, "The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs", Vol 50, Issue 159, pp 26-31, 1959.Typewritten, quarto, 6 pagesAnnotations and corrections in pencilaustralian identity, taste, automobile design, they're a weird mob, nino culotta, 1959 australia, cyril pearl, on the beach, so you want to be an australian, sidney nolan, john ely burchard, robin boyd, manuscript

Discussion of Architectural professional techniques (organisation of the profession, from the societies, registration etc and the growth in the profession, office practices) public and private practices (eg Commonwealth Department of Works,), research and regulations (eg building research, CSIRO), and theory and practice (the vernacular, the professional and the creative).Original manuscript of an article published as 'Architecture in Australia’ in RIBA Journal, Vol.78, No.1, January 1971, pp.11-20.Typewritten (p/copy), quarto, 22 pagesaustralian architecture, royal australian institute of architects, the architecture profession, package dealing, australian architecture students association, public and private practice, commonwealth department of works, building research, csiro, building regulations, john andrews, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd reviews Mitchell Gordon's Sick Cities. He opens with a scathing description of American urbanism: the skyscraper and the automobile in a fight to the death, and a culture unwilling to engage with a discussion of urbanism. Boyd presents Gordon's book as a non-technical and non-partisan contribution to the new field of American urbanism, focussed on the functional problems (sprawl, traffic, squatting, air pollution) rather than visual ugliness. He commends Gordon's book as 'good, meaty [and] helpful' to city administrators and city lovers everywhere.Book Review (Mitchell Gordon)Typewritten, quarto, 3 pagesScribbled out sections on pages 1, 2 and 3; addition of notes in pages 2 and 3.mitchell gordon, sick cities, urban planning, thomas jefferson, john f. kennedy, the american way, racial segregation, suburban sprawl, air pollution, urbanism, traffic, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd proposes to apply art criticism techniques to architecture; claims architectural criticism in Australia is "all but dead" because of the 'schizophrenic nature of architecture" (i.e. building a socio-economic object as well as art). Boyd compares Kevin Borland's design of The Legend restaurant (Lonsdale St) with a recently designed residential apartment block (15 Collins St); claims that both are schizophrenic but The Legend is masterfully so whereas the apartments are aesthetically lacking.Original manuscript of an article published as ‘The schizophrenic style’ in "The Sunday Australian", 14.3.1971Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 11 pagesTop of page 1 handwritten where and when published. The last page credits photographer Mark Strizic, so images may have been attached.architectural criticism, art criticism, melbourne architecture, the legend restaurant, lonsdale st, leonard french, legend milk bar, tivoli theatre, clement meadmore, kevin borland, colonial architecture, 15 collins st, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd discusses the achievement of Moshe Safdie in the design and dream of Habitat 67. He outlines the history, philosophy and sociological objective of cluster housing.Original manuscript published as 'Experimenting with boxes: Habitat's cluster' in Architectural Forum Vol.126, No.4, May 1967 pp. 35-41.Typewritten (p/copy), quarto, 9 pageshabitat 67, moshe safdie, expo 67, le corbusier, urbanism, unite d'habitation, reyner banham, alison and peter smithson, kenzo tange, clusters, russian apartments, cluster housing, robin boyd, manuscript

A review of the two books 'The New Architecture and the Bauhaus' by Walter Gropius and 'Garden Cities of Tomorrow' by Ebenezer Howard, on the occasion of their reissue as paperbacks.Original manuscript published as "Ahead of the trend" in the 'The Australian' on 05.06.1965.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 5 pagesadelaide, bauhaus, canberra, deutscher werkbund exhibition, elizabeth, garden cities, walter gropius, ebenezer howard, letchworth, lewis mumford, welwyn, yallourn, robin boyd, manuscript

Discusses the influence of background, temperament and creativity on an architect as well as the three phases in the development of architecture in 20th century and the theme of space. A long critique on the issue of the sails of the Sydney Opera House. The question of art versus technology in the future of architecture is argued. (Is this related to D020)This is an untitled speech, annotated with numbers indicating markers for slides, "Lights".Typewritten (carbon copy), with major pencil edits, quarto, 21 pages. Starts on page 2.On page 2, the title 'The Phases of Modern Architecture' is crossed out.creativity, functionalism, ornament, romanticism, fragmentation, space, computer, beauty, sydney opera house, sigfried giedion, jorn utzon, ove arup, super-functionalism, robin boyd, manuscript

This text summarises the differences in architecture and proposes, unlike in other art forms, that architecture has a mainstream which has consistency in it, yet is also ever changing. The term 'modern architecture' is becoming suspect and obsolete. Visual art is inevitably involved with social evolution. It discusses utilitarian and creative architecture. Boyd proposes architecture is between science and art, and that architecture by itself means the architecture of this age.Typewritten, quarto, 11 pages (Note: Mentions the 1960s, possibly implying it was written late 1960s-1970/1971)modern architecture, social evolution, utilitarian architecture, creative architecture, mcluhan era, glutternberg era, henry russell hitchcock, paul rudolph, philip johnson, kenzo tange, archigram, sydney opera house, reston, robin boyd, manuscript

Book review of "Kenzo Tange, 1946-1969. Architecture and Urban Design", edited by Udo Kultermann, Praeger Publishers, 304 pp $29.50. Boyd praises Tange's unapologetic adherence to modernism and his adaptation of le Corbusier's ideas to tradition. He appraises the book's merits and problems (explanatory and not analytical writing, building omissions).Architectural Forum, Vol. 135, No.3, October 1971, p8. Book review by Robin Boyd of 'Kenzo Tange, 1946 - 1969, Architecture and Urban Design', edited by Udo Kultermann, Praeger Publishers,Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 3 pageskenzo tange, japanese architecture, modern movement, le corbusier, creative realism, expo, skoplje, yugoslavia, hiroshima, children's library at hiroshima, shizuoka olympic arena, tokyo, nichinan, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd argues that there is little that is truly avant-garde or revolutionary in architecture. Boyd defintes 'antiarchitecture' as architecture which rejects aestheticism, an approach explored by constructivists, Archigram and Venturi. Boyd indicates that he suspects that architecture can never fully escape aestheticism.Original manuscript of the article published in The Architectural Forum, Vol. 129, No. 4, November 1968, pp. 84-86.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 6 pagesAnnotation on p2radicalism, venturi, archigram, reyner banham, buckminster fuller, new brutalists, constructivism, john m johansen, paul rudolph, charles moore, japanese metabolism, george nelson, aestheticism, robin boyd, manuscript

Discussion of the history of the 'glass box', i.e. the glazed curtain wall skyscraper and its appearance and demise in Australia. Also discusses the phenomenon of multi-storey car parks, and RMIT student designs for Victoria Market.Published as "Death notice: The End of the Glass Box/Birth Notice: A New 3-D Style for a City" in 'The Australian' on 13/11/1965.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 8 pagesaustralia square, bates, smart & mccutcheon, john a la gerche, walter gropius, ici house, mcconnel, smith and johnson, harry seidler, sydney opera house, un secretariat, bogle and banfield, peter mcintyre, robin boyd, manuscript

Discusses future cities and speculates on future trends. Looks back at ideas on the future of housing held by Boyd and his contemporaries in the 1950s and discusses how the reality of housing in the 1970s differs.Typewritten, quarto, 9 pagesfuture cities, apartments, suburban sprawl, modern houses, australian families, prefabrication, density, tensile construction, habitat 67, caravans, fred hoyle, tange, habitat 67, moomba, robin boyd, manuscript

Speech addresses urban planning, points to Canada and New Zealand as possible exemplars, prophetic predictions for the future (2017) like Archigram and the 'electronic era of the anti-city'; Boyd advocates strongly for high density.Speech for the Australian Planning Institute Jubilee ConferenceTypewritten, quarto, 25 pagesExtra handwritten notessydney, monorails, town planning, australia square, perth, melbourne, bernard evans, canada, new zealand, toronto, montreal, expo 67, archigram, los angeles, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd discusses Australia and New Zealand's search for their own 'modern' architectural style. Boyd points out the influence of the natural landscape that affects these designs and architectural decisions. In addition, he argues that the search for 'modern' architecture isn't rushed due to the need of respecting the natural landscape of both Australia and New ZealandOriginal manuscript of an article 'Australia in seclusion’ published in Journal of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Vol. 34, September 1967, pp.270-275.Typewritten (c copy), foolscap, 21 pages (two copies of page 9)walter burley griffin, harold desbrowe annear, robert haddon, seabrook and fildes, roy grounds, geoffrey mewton, edward f. billson, best overent (overend), modern architecture, sydney opera house, ian mckay's c/b/ alexander presbyterian agriculture college, ernest kump, sydney school, california, robin boyd, manuscript

A discussion of Australia's bland suburbs, and the rise in brick home-building, and the alternative of urban high-rise living. Alternative leisure lifestyles associated with each are outlined. Multi-storey flats, European migration, the unplanned ghettoisation of different groups are discussed. What are the needs for a new era of Australian housing? New initiatives are outlined.Original manuscript of the chapter titled 'The Neighbourhood' (pp32-43) by Robin Boyd in the book "Living and Partly Living", by Ian McKay, Robin Boyd, Hugh Stretton and John Mant, published by Nelson, Sydney 1971.Typewritten (c copy), pencil, quarto, 29 pagesChapter in a book.neighbourhood, neighborhood, suburbia, planning, conformity, brick home, timber home, flathouses, housing commission, european immigration, swinger hill, ian mackay, merchant builders, landscaping, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd argues that the Australian cultural split between what he perceives to be cultured tastes and artistic achievements and the tastes of ordinary Australians is wider and more polarised than in other countries. He derides commercial radio, popular women's magazines, public commercial streets etc - elements of the Australian ugliness. He praises the growth of local contemporary art, literary magazines and architecture, whilst calling for the development of community pride amongst leaders of commerce and industry, and government control of the ugliness of popular culture. This may have been published in "Walkabout" magazine.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 11 pagesart, egalitarianism, sidney nolan, australian painting, pop art, phil may, dyson, low, media, cartoons, australian literature, radio, california cultural heritage board, commercial advertising, robin boyd, manuscript

A critique of the adaption of American culture in Australian popular culture, where only the worst or silliest things from the US are adopted. Boyd suggests the colonial, unambitious and rigid brand of masculinity that characterises the "Aussie myth" hinders the development of an imaginative and creative social climate that manifests in a superficial appropriation of American culture. Boyd is not critical of US culture itself, in fact he has a great appreciation of US culture. He suggests that the Australian brand of Americanisation is only a superficial commercial exploitation of the American dream. It concludes with Boyd rallying for the development of a unique Australian originality with increasing connections to Asia.Typewritten, pencil edits (pages 22a and 22b added after page 22), quarto, 24 pagesamericanisation, american culture, australian culture, masculinity, cultural myths, australian values, social attitudes, ussr, asia, california, sidney nolan, alan moorehead, patrick white, donald horne, john anderson, robin boyd, manuscript

Captions for photographs in "Living in Australia"Original manuscript for the captions for "Living in Australia", Pergamon Press, 1970Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 16 pagesmccaughey court, lyons house, mcclune house, menzies college, shelmerdine house, john batman motor inn, black dolphin, marks house, lawrence house, boyd house, walsh st, baker house, troedal house, purves house, fletcher house, handfield house, kaye house, domain park flats, robin boyd, manuscript

Discusses American technological advancement and American tendency to look forward; Australia is 15 years behind and should be more forward looking; Australian private affluence and public poverty, motor cars, expressways and roads. America is described as looking to a future beyond cars; Boyd proposes that Australia skips expressway building. Discusses tourism, the Australian accent, imagining 2000AD, Archigram's Plug-In City, anti-city, integrate bush into the city - the gumtree aesthetic.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 29 pages. (Two copies plus one incomplete version with 13p)Incomplete one contains pencil editsfuture, america, henry ford, automobiles, road development, destruction of old buildings, destruction of nature, tourism, great barrier reef, australian accent, globalisation, isolationism, canada, new zealand, archigram, athens, los angeles, suburbia, heidelberg school, diggers, robin boyd, manuscript

Boyd argues that modern architecture has triggered a necessity for greater harmony between architects and engineers. Boyd describes the architectural qualities of tension structures through an analysis of several case studies including projects by Frei Otto and Boyd's own house at Walsh St. Being a relatively new concept, Boyd criticises the neglect towards smaller buildings in this structural system, and also highlights some of its shortcomings. A 2-page letter from 'Arthur' (surname unknown) at the University of Melbourne's Department of Civil Engineering provides feedback to Boyd on his analyses of the chosen case studies.Original manuscript of article published in The Architectural Review Vol.134, No.801, November 1963, pp. 324 - 334. This draft was returned with covering letter from: ‘Arthur’ (AJF) Melbourne Uni. Dept Civil Engineering. Typewritten (c copy), foolscap, 14 (+2 quarto letter) pagesMinor handwritten editsengineering, tensile structure, master-designer, bernard lafaille, zagreb french pavilion, matthew nowicki, livestock pavilion, frei otto, paul rudolph, florida house, bill irwin, kevin borland, peter mcintyre, john and phyllis murphy, yuncken freeman, sidney myer music bowl, eero saarinen, yale hockey rink, edward d. stone, brussels u.s. fair pavilion, boston arts centre, walsh street, robin boyd, manuscript

This book contains several pages of handwritten music. The page borders and the staves appear to have been printed in blue and the notes have been handwritten with the names of some of the tunes handwritten at the beginning of the music notation. The owner of this book is unknown.This book is of some interest as it contains handwritten manuscript music and is retained pending further research into the owner of the book.This is a hard cover book with a green cover with ornamental borders on the back and front. The front cover has a coloured inset of a medieval scene edged with flowers and trees. The illustration includes some calligraphy. The cover is stained and worn and mended at the top with adhesive tape. The binding is slightly detached. The pages contain handwritten music in black ink. Manuscript Music A Gift For All Seasons

Faye Fort recounts the life of her aunt Lilian Colston (nee Partington) 1921-2011, a member of the Greensborough pioneer family. Lillian was the daughter of Ben Partington and Nellie Willoughby.Pioneer Greensborough familyFamily history story, 2 pages text and photoIncludes handwritten manuscript by Faye Fort.lillian colston, lillian partington, partington family

Spiral Bound Typewritten manuscriptDraft (dated 6/6/1989) of catalogue publication to accompany the 1989 exhibition at State Library of Victoria of the same namerobin boyd, architecture, australia, bibliography, 20th century, walsh st library

Faye Fort recounts stories about growing up in the Partington home "Alwyn" in the mid 20th century. At this time agriculture played an important role in the Greensborough district and the land around Alwyn was used for poultry, vegetables and cut flowers.A primary source recollection of Greensborough in the mid-20th century.2 typed pages and handwritten manuscriptfaye fort, partington family, alwyn, whatmough park