Heritage Houses in Brisbane: 1940 to 1960's

Brisbane is filled to the brim with heritage houses. In this mini-series we delved into architecture from different eras to help you understand the design premise of your dream home. In this article we look into houses built in the Post-war period, the 1940 to 1960's.

During the Second World War (1939-1945) domestic building largely stopped in response to the war effort. At the end of the war, life slowly returned to normal. With returned service personnel starting families, and improving wages and working conditions, a national housing boom began.

From the 1960s, brick-veneer project houses, built on concrete slabs, began to fill the outer suburbs - Centenary Park, Carindale and Carseldine - to name a few. However, there are some examples of International-style housing in suburbs such as St Lucia and Indooroopilly.

Austerity

During the post-war period, this style evolved in response to building restrictions into what has been termed the Post-War Austerity style. This refers to extremely plain, compact, usually single storey, houses, built on the ground on concrete slabs or on a brick base. They were often square or L-shaped in plan, but triple fronted examples were also built.

International

Sometimes descripted as a more sophisticated interpretation to functionalism. This style is characterised by its flat or low-pitched roof, elevated floors and large glass areas.