Maroondah Federation Estate Sensory Time Trail (Ringwood)

The trail shows the historical evolution of housing exteriors and gardens over the past century.

It is located on the site of the former Ringwood Primary School and the site includes landscaped gardens, on site parking, tree sculptures, the Sensory Time Trail, a courtyard capturing the Footsteps of Federation and an accessible playspace.

1900s
This era utilised splayed wider base support wall with common red bricks with a red mortar and often tuck pointed white joints ruled into the mortar. The wall has regular and narrow window openings, with white painted double hung timber windows recessed into the wall.

Typically the wall would extend to the underside of a narrow width timber lined eaves, but for this building extends to the solar shade screen to achieve western sun protection. The early stages of the Victorian era typically are rather plain in exterior detail but often with intricate details and ornate plaster work.

1920s
This era progressed from the plain Victorian style and brought in more texture and details. Still retaining the splayed stepped out lower base to wall with traditional red bricks to 3/4 wall height and with off white mortar and stucco white render above red bricks.

Windows were white painted and protruded out from the wall to give articulation to the wall face. The windows were typically wider boxed out double hung windows with upper glazing bars and splayed timber head with corbel timber brackets and thick timber sills supported on brick corbels.

1940s
The use of changing coloured brickwork and larger window panels is characteristic of this era. This is noticeable with a traditional blend of cream pink hues for the main wall panel and blue chip clinker brick base wall, all with charcoal mortar.

Window openings have become larger with the greater use and availability of steel support lintels over openings. The windows are steel providing slender lines, containing larger central glass sections, flanked with multi-panel opening side sections. They are highlighted in the wall by contrasting clinker bricks over the opening and the use of protruding sill bricks.

1960s
This era mellowed the use of multi-coloured bricks and introduced traditional cream brick walls as a softer palette for the walls, with natural mortar. There is a stark contrasting black glazed brick base wall with narrow dark glazed band at 3/4 wall height, and black header coarse over the window with black sill tiles.

Similar steel framed. white painted windows as the 1940's era with simpler side panels as part of the move to understatement of detail and more minimalist in approach.

1980s
There was commonly a move away from the rhythm and regular pattern of brick faced walls and the move towards textured render with a wide choice of colour palette and finishes.

Windows are simple with large glass areas and clean simple black aluminium frames with no detail to take away from clean and crisp surfaces of the building. This era was seen as minimalist and plain in style.

2000s
This era was generally considered high-tech in the use of finishes and materials with use of fine and precise lines and seamless joints. In this instance a polished silver aluminium wall finished flush with frameless dark tinted glass all to give a sense of a 'space helmet' and futuristic finish.

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Location

32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood 3134 Map