Arch1201 Week 11 - Notes

Lecture – 14 May 2012

·         Site visit - The way you see things = “not complicated”. Group site model – have it 80% complete by tomorrow.

·         In your site models, practice being in the place – if you’re doing a suburban site, visits other suburban sites.

·         Combination of drawings, photographs, models etc.

·         “Not conscious” – simply draw upon the material, and deal with it later. Processing the info later is where the conscious thought comes into play.

·         Characters that you nominate to live in your place.

·         Think about the consequences architecturally.

·         Put down ‘pointers’ of what you think are interesting.

·         1:500 model.

Today’s Case Study = House in Castlecrag designed by Hugh Burich

·         designed  1969 – 1972

·         Edinburgh Road runs through the peninsula – this house is built on a street which branches off it.

·         Griffin designed Castlecrag to match the unique Australian landscape.

·         “permanent preservation of the pristine loveliness”

·         See drawing of house: Large tree – house is a small element off to the side.

·         May be a house – but looks like a rock ledge.

·         Frank Lloyd Wright approach to relationship between building and landscape.

·         Other houses in Castlecrag are low structures, much rock and sandstone façade. ‘Substantial use of Sydney sandstone’

·         Many have flat concrete roofs.

·         Very low houses, almost buried in the landscape.

·         Built as an extension of a small Griffin knit-lock ( pre-cast concrete elements) building.

·         Whilst it looks like there are “angles everywhere”, the set-backs are actually simple set-backs from the boundary.

·         Apparently the walk-ways mirror the contours of the land

·         House has “a constant capacity to surprise you”.

·         Takes delight in modern materials.

·         Extensive use of repetition.

·         Long glazed walls.

·         Slate floor was cheap – intended to be replaced.

·         House has a powerful weight, but also floats.

·         Curved roof may reflect the landscape.

·         Architect is having a ‘conversation’ with Griffin.

·         Thinking about nature, but making the forms deliberately artificial.