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The Former Bank of Australasia building is a neoclassical structure located in the Melbourne city centre. It stands on the corner of Queen Street and Collins Street, right in the centre of the Melbourne banking and offices precinct. The five-storeys building had played an integral part in Melbourne’s economy during the Gold rush and the great depression. It was designed by Reed and Barnes architect and constructed in 1876. The building has gone under two renovations, with the first renovation being done by A&K Henderson between 1929–30 and the second being an interior renovation in 1970. The Former Bank of Australasia building was the main headquarters of the Bank of Australasia between 1876-1974. It is now used as an apartment hotel known as Treasury on Collins. ==Design approach== The Former Bank of Australasia can be categorized as a neoclassical building. It was an architectural style mostly used in the 1800s. Built in a superimposed trabeated system, the building lack of ornamental design and its usage of the Doric order read strength and solidity, personalities that define the rapid growth of Melbourne’s (Port Philip) economy during the 1870s. Reed and Barnes initial design was for a two storeys building. The building was 20.7 meters high and occupied 890 square meters area of land1. The exterior of the building is similar to any other trabeated building, exposing pilasters that carry the main cornices and parapets. The façade was clothed with Oamaru free stone imported from New Zealand, and the basement was constructed of Malmesbury stone. The interior was designed in a typical bank design of the time, with the ground floor being the main chamber and offices space. The only public entrance was through Collins Street. It was paved in stone to differentiate the public and the private (tenants) spaces. The basement was mainly occupied by the bank’s vault (strong rooms), while two smaller vaults were put on the ground floor to help the daily business of the bank. Offices and rooms for the clerks occupied the top floor. The first renovation took place in 1929, during the great depression. The building area was multiplied by adding three extra storeys on top of the two 3. It was a typical design move during that period, as constructing a new building was too expensive. The three storeys were designed according to the first two, except for the small setback on the fifth floor façade. It was also built in the same materials as the previous two storeys. The interior was fully renovated; a light well was put through the centre of the building, enabling skylight to puncture through to the main floor. The ornamental details were designed in the Renaissance Revival style, using plasters as the main material. The 1970 minor renovation saw the light well closed and the addition of two intermediate floors between the first and second floor, and between the third and fourth floor. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Former Bank of Australasia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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