East Coast Australia

After Sydney and James' departure back to the UK, I took a bus ride up the East Coast to Brisbane. First stop was Port Macquarie a nice little town with a sea front and a Glenn Murcutt exhibition. Next I stayed at Byron Bay, filled to the brim with surfers and then onto Brisbane where I had a whirlwind tour of all the main sites thanks to Jesse an architecture student, who Lindsay put me in touch with. I was lucky with my timing as Brisbane was just recovering from severe flooding which would have prevented access to the town centre. It was amazing walking around and seeing how high up the floods were (some as high as door heads) and how fast the clean up operation had been.



A small place called Tuncurry, not much of a place but an awful lot of water



Glenn Murcutt exhibition

"Works of architecture are discovered, not designed"



"The central design issues of architecture are; humans and their history and culture; space; light; how things are put together; and responsibility to the land"



Port Macquarie sea front

More seafront

Byron Bay

Byron bay, I had never seen waves as big as these before coming here, the surfers were enjoying it

Out sunbathing

Brisbane town centre, roofing structure designed by BVN architecture. It creates essential shade from the strong sun and a meeting place in the centre

A 'Queenslander' type house on stilts. Most people have filled in the bottom now to create more rooms or a garage

Example of a Queenslander house filled in underneath

A modern take on the traditional Queenslander

A sunken boat following severe flooding

The Brisbane River

Glenn Murcutt Riversdale Boyd Education Centre

Thanks to Lindsay organising permission for me to visit, I was able to experience one of Glenn Murcutt's buildings for real. And not just any building, but the infamous Riversdale, about 3 hours south of Sydney. The train ride down there was beautiful as it followed the coast all the way. It was an interesting taxi ride out to Riversdale as we got a bit lost, nearly ending up in Kangaroo Valley (an admittedly quite beautiful detour!). Once there I was given a guided tour by Jim, who told me a lot about how they use the building today. Originally conceived as a education centre for arts as per the wishes of Arthur Boyd, the very famous late artist who lived in this beautiful area. He fought against development, preserving the area for us all to enjoy. It is now also often used for events such as weddings or art based events due to its spectacular location. This has caused some problems regarding storage of art materials during events, and some spaces that were intended to be open spaces for children to spread out in with a framed view for inspiration are now filled with event chairs and tables. The staff and children who use this building for its original purpose are full of enthusiasm for it, so it has only been when the building's use included events that there have been any problems.

I went inside one of the bedrooms which was lovely and cool despite the heat of the day outside. The great hall was also cool and an incredibly inspiring space. I could have spent hours here. Jim said it is a wonderful place to work. There are also very interesting details for added ventilation, small doors and shutters that open so that you can adjust your own environment. Also interesting is its setting, the bush at the rear comes right up to the building, and then the English style lawn to the front down to the river. The protruding screens keep the morning sun from heating up the bedrooms and they also form a division inside the room to allow a four bed room to become two two bed rooms. Another Glenn Murcutt trick is to not allow the roof to actually touch the walls. This prevents heat from the roof seeping into the walls and also allows air flow beneath. Large timber slatted screens in the main hall can be opened up fully to maximise the view during events, but when closed they filter the light and also prevent children from running into the glass.

The main accommodation part of the building with the protruding screens for shade

The entrance to the building is strong and sculptural

The fantastic view from the main hall is very inspiring and Murcutt has captured it perfectly

One of Arthur Boyd's paintings

They collect rainwater and filter it for drinking as well as flushing toilets

The wooden screens add warmth to the corridor

Inside one of the bedrooms, the perfect height to view the river from your bed. There are many shutters and openings inside so that you can adjust the temperature however much you please. Much nicer that flicking the air con on!

I would like a room like this!

The toilets and showers are situated outside the rooms for easy monitoring without intruding on privacy. Even the toilets are pretty, with filtered light through the wooden slats shown here

The amazing view



The rear corridor with views out to the bush behind. Repetition of wood and concrete as well as the bush backdrop, give life to what is essentially a corridor



A spectacular staircase leading out into the bush



Somehow concrete is never boring when Murcutt has designed it



View from the rear of the building with the staircase strongly emphasised

Nice window shutter detail

The main building with the great hall beyond

Some Great Australian Architects!

Lindsay also talked to me a lot about the work of Glenn Murcutt, Peter Stuchbury and Richard Laplastrier. Their work is absolutely fascinating and a lot of it relatively unknown in the UK. You can find out more about their and Lindsay's work on http://ozetecture.org/ . In addition two of these fascinating architects; Peter Stuchbury and Richard Laplastrier will be coming to London at the RIBA to deliver a talk on 24th May 2011. This will be really worth attending as it is a rare chance to see some world class Australian architects in the UK.

Peter has won some 39 Australian Institute of Architects awards and has exhibited internationally though not yet in the UK. He approaches sustainability in a natural and simple way often using passive strategies. But combined with gorgeous details, these buildings manage to look both contemporary and happy in their setting. Below are some images taken from the Ozetecture website of his work:

Richard Laplastrier is a bit of a philosopher and will be a fascinating speaker. He explores existence and shelter and about 'how much do we really need?'. His work reflects this and has a lightness of touch, perhaps similar to the aboriginal method of hardly building at all. Below are some pictures of his work taken from the Ozetecture website:

Architect Lindsay Johnston

I was really lucky while in Sydney and got the chance to meet architect Lindsay Johnston. He began life as an architect in Northern Ireland and moved to Australia during the last recession which left no work for architects. He taught and is teaching at Newcastle and Sydney Universities as well as practicing. One of his projects; the four horizons house and lodges seemed perfect for a case study so I interviewed him on that project and he gave me a wealth of information, for which I am very grateful. On the boat journey from the train station to his house, he showed me his latest finished work. He was very modest but I think it is superb how it settles in the landscape, not dominating it like a lot of homes along the river. I really like how it fits around the site, trees and large rocks included. And this is all due to the way Lindsay designs using models in which the existing topography is well mapped. A lot of care was taken to ensure that what little sun hits this well covered spot was optimized.

The Four Horizons house and the Lodges which form my case study have drawn from the rural shed vernacular but mostly from the idea of shade. People gravitate towards trees in hot climates and park their caravans under another roof. Lindsay was also inspired on a trip to Zimbabwe where tents were situated under a thatched roof and there was a fireplace outside. One of the things I am increasingly finding on my travels is that people are not just looking at their own vernacular for inspiration but those of other countries as well. Other considerations were the bush fire risk at close proximity (the house is set on a cliff with forest all around). The idea is that the building can be completely shut up using fire shutters to prevent fire from entering. This allows you to hide inside until the blaze passes. One critique he often has of buildings built by newcomers to Australia is that they have no apreciation for thermal mass or the Australian lifestlye of eating outside. Both of these things are incorporated into his design. Thermal mass is very important and very effective in the New South Wales climate. Though when we think of Australian architecture we tend to think of the 'Queenslander' a timber stud house built on stilts, large verandah surrounding, very lightweight. This suits the tropical climate in which it sits, but New South Wales has a very different climate, to which thermal mass is actually well suited. Lindsay (having lived in the house) says that it was very rarely too hot and never too cold. He said that when the temperature outside became hotter than the inside, you shut all the doors and windows and let the thermal mass do the work. They had 38 degree days and the house performed very well. Another key consideration is cross ventilation, something that features heavily in Glenn Murcutt's work. The idea of a double roof so that heat does not penetrate directly into the house or it's walls is another good trick.

In Australia it is tricky to say what is vernacular/indigenous architecture as the aboriginals did not have buildings as such but rather settlements linked to trees, rocks, caves and it was about shelter. When white settlers arrived about 200 years ago, as is typical of colonial architecture, they brought European styles with them, which were, of course, not suited to a variable climate such as the Australian one.

The Four Horizons House by Lindsay Johnston, picture taken from ozetecture.org

The Four Horizons Lodges, picture taken from ozetecture.org. I have been kindly given a stack of images of these houses ( I was unable to visit due to their remote location and privacy) by Lindsay, however these have been safely delivered home for my return.

The holiday home designed by Lindsay Johnston recently. The approach is well concealed

A very steep site, the skewed forms seem to represent the rocks beneath them

The existing tree is really made the most of in this setting

The view is made the most of with simple, light materials that allow the landscape to shine through

The choice of wood decking works well with the existing tree colouring

Light and transparency using simple materials. A common theme important to good Australian architects, is the idea of the Eucalyptus tree, a far more transparent tree than European varieties.



Staircase leading up to bedrooms



The view to the river never leaves you

The riverside community

Lindsay's house, a refurbishment of an existing fishing type house, everything completely opens up allowing maximum cross ventilation and use of outside space.

The view from the house



The riverside community only accessible by boat



A bridge over Hawkesbury River

Hawkesbury River train station