Tropical architecture in Darwin

I'm posting these pics here partly because they help to understand the context of Glenn Murcutt's 'shearing shed' house that Den posted recently. These here are photos of one of Darwin's few remaining original, pre-air-conditioning tropical houses, restored after Cyclone Tracy. I took them about ten years ago. As you'll see, many of the features are replicated in Murcutt's own tropical house.

They do represent a quite significant achievement: the culmination of British colonial knowledge of how to build in a soakingly hot and humid, termite-ridden, climate. And there is something special about such a simple yet intelligently-designed building in such an extreme setting.

I'll quote from the photo of the signboard (above):

Designing for the tropics

Stretching west down Myilly Point [in east-central Darwin] is a group of four tropical houses designed in 1937 by B.C.G. Burnett, principal Government Architect for the Northern Territory. His previous experience in China and Malaya enabled him to understand the local climate. He designed elevated houses with steep-pitched roofs and open eaves to catch the refreshing sea breezes. Further innovations included replacing the external walls with asbestos-cement [ie., fibrolite] louvres that could be adjusted according to the weather conditions. The living areas and bedrooms were separated by three-quarter height partitions to allow for cross-ventilation. Burnett's practical and aesthetic designs established a regional architectural style that continues to influence contemporary housing designs.

Burnett's tropical designs are very well known in tropical architecture circles, and were widely emulated, as Murcutt would know and just as he would expect the readers of his own architecure to know. So, I would imagine -- and here I'm speculating-- that Murcutt was intentionally "reinterpreting the colonial response" to the Australian climate in a new "multicultural context." Or something like that. And he would expect his "readers" to be able to "interpret" what he'd "reinterpreted."All very "postmodern" in that respect, then.

But I'm posting the photographs for another reason too: simply because this was a bloody nice house to be in, even at the hottest part of the day. "Colonialist," "imperialist" or whatever you want to call him, Mr Burnett had done a very nice job of very intelligently and very simply designing a house for a bloody uncomfortable place in which to live. On this evidence I'd just call him a very fine craftsman, and a pretty intelligent architect.

Unbuilt Piha Project - Organon Architecture, 1996

 

Just another unbuilt project from the files of Organon Architecture, this one for a spectacularly wild setting above Piha Beach.

Sketch above.

Sketch plans at left.

Villa Renovation

Some ‘surgical’ extensions to a Waiuku farmhouse to upgrade and open up the living areas.

 

 

Sketch - Organon Architecture

 

A sketch of something in its early stages that's on the boards here at Organon Architecture.

Hypar houses

 

I’ve been playing around with “hypar” shells again: thin shells made of a doubly-curved surface that equalises stresses across the whole surface, which and can be generated out of straight lines (as you can see from the bottom pics)–easy to construct, and so expressive.

The car is there to give the models a sense of scale.  And some style.  :-)

Papamoa Beach House, 1998

Coromandel cottage

Houses by Fred Stevens and by Peter Cresswell at Lake Tarawera

Houses by Fred Stevens and by Peter Cresswell at Lake Tarawera

Methven Ski Chalet Project, 2000

A project for an owner-occupied ‘chalet’ looking out to the Alps, with a ‘twin’ intended for sale

Project: Tumunui, Rotorua #1

A project for a spectacular elevated site outside Rotorua, with views to the north-west to a local geothermal outcrop, to the south-east down to Mt Ruapehu; out to the west to a small lake, and off to the north-east to Rainbow Mountain.

A concrete home, as ordered, wrapped around the hill top not on it ("build on the hill and you take away the hill"). The lap pool, which also forms the ‘gateway’ to the forecourt entry, lines up on the Mt Ruapehu-geothermal axis, ‘pointing’ at both—the pergolas lead out to the Rainbow mountain view.

LOCATION  CONCEPT:

Project: Tumunui, Rotorua #2

A second (lesser) proposal for the same site.

Lower Floor Plan:

Main Floor Plan:

Upper Floor Plan:

Auckland apartment renovation, 1996

Renovation of a ground-floor apartment looking over Westhaven, removing the rabbit warren of walls and the assorted hindrances to the view.

Sketch for a Mt Eden ‘Spec Home’

Sketch for a Mt Eden ‘spec home.’ Lower Floor: Main Floor:

 

It was all changed somewhat in the finished version…

Montessori Children’s House

I’ve had the pleasure of renovating one Montessori school, on Auckland’s North Shore, and of designing this one as a representative project.

Terrace:

It takes its inspiration from Muriel Dwyer’s suggestion that Dr Montessori favoured an octagonal layout for her children’s houses—which allows equal space for each of the four main subject areas, and the four minor areas, without preferencing any—and the attempt to solve the ‘inside-outside’ problem which seems to plague so many Montessori children’s houses.

Main Space:

Entrance, from Car Park:

The staff wing and parents’ area is exploded from the main space, and both staff and kitchen areas overlook the garden and terrace.

‘Afternoon’ Terrace,’ with Staff Wing on left:

 

It might still need a bit of work on the colour scheme . . .  still, this is only a ‘sketch’ model.

Looking North, with light from above to the main space.

 

Looking South-East.  The child and Directress give some idea of scale (and unfortunately the Archicad programme used to produce this has no dress-wearing Directresses!):

Martinborough House

A house in which to hunker down and enjoy the vineyards just over the fence, and the distant sunburnt mountains beyond.