When you think of an iconic building, you’re almost always picturing the outside of it aren’t you? Whether it’s Sydney Opera, Buckingham Palace, the Taj Mahal or the Empire State Building, it’s the exterior that we can conjure up most clearly as this is what we see most often. But have you ever wondered what they actually look like inside? Even if you’ve been inside them, we can guarantee you’ve never seen them quite like this.
Here’s seven of Australia’s most iconic buildings in cutaway:
Sydney Opera House
People all around the world could draw a pretty good picture of the Opera House from memory, but even if you’ve been lucky enough to go inside and see a concert there, this will still be a brand new view for you. Not only does this cutaway show how those famous concrete ‘shells’ that make up the roof are supported, but you can also see the concert hall itself and many of the smaller rooms that make up the Opera House.
Flinders Street Station
The location for the first Australian steam train journey and the first city rail station in the country, Flinders Street is one of Melbourne’s most famous buildings, helped by its French Renaissance design. It’s clearly far more than just another train station and digitally slicing off its exterior reveals even more, not least an abandoned ballroom on the third floor, a remnant of the time when this station had a running track, gym, billiards room and lending library.
Parliament House
From this angle, Parliament House is a fascinating enough building, with its design splitting out for the various purposes that it is used for, with the House of Representatives on one side and the Senate Chamber on the other, while the ceremonial & public spaces are at the back. However, the cutaway shot is even more intriguing, showing all the rooms and passageways like a gigantic maze.
Cape Byron Lighthouse
Not many lighthouses are only 22m high, but Cape Byron’s lighthouse is. That’s because it’s already so high up that it didn’t need to be built as tall as other lighthouses, which is great news for lighthouse keepers who aren’t really into climbing stairs. As you can see from this cutaway, the spiral staircase looks very manageable, but there’s also not much in the way of space below, which is why the keepers used to live in cottages nearby.
City of Perth Library
This ultra-modern library only opened in 2016 and was built with the intention of not dominating the surrounding buildings, and the exterior is designed to reflect as much light as possible. Inside, as you can see, the circular structure makes for a very striking setting for a library, particularly with the vertical garden, which contains more than 3,500 plants.
Q1 Tower
Formerly the world’s tallest residential building, the Q1 Tower still stands out on the Gold Coast and this cutaway shows that it’s a world away from the short climb of the Cape Byron Lighthouse, with 1331 steps required to take you from the ground to the 77th floor. We’d recommend taking the lift, which does the same journey in less than 3 seconds.
Brisbane Skytower
Another huge skyscraper, this Skytower is meant to evoke ‘a rippling column of water’, and if you’re a fan of daredevil swimming, you’d like the infinity pool on the 89th floor, which is the highest in Australia. Interestingly, you can also see that the building is split into three distinct ‘communities’, each of which has its own swimming pool and other public facilities.
Which of these buildings do you think looks the best in cutaway form?