One small voice.
Co-written with Peter Lonergan, this article responds to the Bulletin’s theme of ‘What are we doing?’ by examining how we respond, recover and rebuild after the bushfire and how we can work towards a more resilient, climate adaptive future.
Read MoreIt is perhaps fitting that in 2012, starchitect Frank O. Gehry designed the abstract white stage set for Christopher Alden’s abstract and sublime production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I certainly would not be surprised by the many clients, builders and even fellow architects who wouldn’t wish to see Gehry consigned to flames of hell, dragged into its depths for his unapologetic architecture and obsession with moving fish. Indeed even I at times, even when looking at his latest ‘crumpled paper bag’ (as it is ‘affectionately’ known) creation in my home of Sydney must look up and quizzically enquire, “Mr. Gehry, what do you think you are doing?”
Read More“I foresee all kinds of unforeseeable problems. If I could foresee them, then they wouldn’t be unforeseen!”
- Sir Humphrey Appleby, Yes Prime Minister
The classic 1980s British Television sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, serves as the commencement of my intrigue into the architect’s legal role and obligation. As complex and profoundly absurd the quote about deception is, it does for me represent the relationship between the architect and the law: that underneath a guise of complexity are a set of very simple driving principles.
Read More“Common sense, common care, and common prudence, were all sunk into Mrs. Dashwood’s romantic delicacy.”
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Where does morality begin? Where does architectural duty end? For me, these questions begin with the history of architecture and the preservation of the urban fabric, something which served as the original inspiration to study architecture. Whilst I may not possess the same ‘romantic delicacies’ as Mrs. Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, I am fully aware that architects, as builders of the social sphere, cannot afford to drop the moral high standard which is expected of us. Indeed it is essential for architects, as negotiators and as the generalist coordinator as we have previously identified to uphold the standards of society - and where fault is found, whilst it is not necessarily our legal duty, it is certainly our moral duty to enforce change for the greater good.
Read MoreCan you guys help me choose a filter?
I don't know if I should go with XXPro or Valencia,
I want to look tan.
What should my caption be?
I want it to be clever.
How about 'living with my bitchez, #lip,’
I only got ten likes in the last five minutes,
Do you think I should take it down?
Let me take another #selfie.
Let me take a #selfie.
Sudden death is never a happy affair. The shock is arguably even greater when perhaps the most famous and controversial architect of our time passes during what would have otherwise been routine treatment for bronchitis. The great outpouring of grief has however, allowed all those aligned both within and outside the field of design to reflect on her life and her work.
Read MoreWhilst listening recently to Patrik Schumacher’s fiery declaration for the Architectural Review’s series on Architecture and Freedom, he made an impassioned declaration once more on the separation of politics, political correctness and architecture. Although perhaps more defensive than I would have liked, and perhaps less eloquently catchy when compared to Taylor Swift’s response to ‘haters’, the Review’s series has raised extremely provocative questions on the role of architects and the relationship to morality and ethics.
Read MoreLadies and gentlemen, let us give a warm hand to Sydney’s newest celebrity! More controversial than Utzon and certainly more talked about than the demise of James Barnet’s sandstone monuments, it seems certain that everyone in Sydney has an opinion on Mr. Frank O. Gehry’s brown paper bag. Indeed, no woman but the dame of Sydney’s architectural criticism circuit Elizabeth Farrelly could have expressed more eloquently the status of Gehry’s structure: “But if, like me, you suspect there's more to life than unbridled market-forces, more to literature than Fifty Shades, more to architecture than the whackiest curves your software can spew up, more to beauty than two oiled and opulent orbs [of Kim Kardashian] – this "more", surely, is something our houses of higher learning should pursue.” (Farrelly, 2015).
Read MoreIt is perhaps fitting to say that when I was first confronted with the idea of addressing His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales’ recent essay in the Architectural Review I was met with a peculiar thought. How does one reference in endnotes an essay written by royalty? Does one simply write, “HRH Charles, Prince of Wales” or is it more academically correct to use his ‘full’ name, Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor (I shan’t even attempt to include all his royal and noble titles)? Mundane as this thought may seem it raises a significant and important point: that as a result of his status within the British Monarchy, Prince Charles, unlike so many other academics, critics and indeed anyone interested in the built environment wields an authority and influence most architects can only dream of (Avoid Albert Speer reference here).
Read MoreArchitects spend a lot of time discussing aesthetics. In fact, on the face of it, aesthetics might seem like the only aspect the profession cares about. Amongst some of the leaders in the field today is an emphasis on crazy form based architecture and other follies which are only possible through the powerful new world of computer aided design. To express this obsession in the words of Shakespeare, methinks contemporary architecture doth screech too much. Architecture is of course meant to be much more than fancy facades, decorative ornamentation and eye-dazzling spectacle. At least, I hope it is…
Read MoreIt is anticipated that global populations living in urban areas is going to “increase by 84 per cent by 2050, from 3.4 billion in 2009 to 6.3 billion in 2050.” (United Nations, 2009). Indeed, since 2009, the population living in urban areas had surpassed the number living in rural areas. There is therefore the inevitable question of how these mega-cities of the future can sustainably feed these populations. In this article, I have decided to investigate how different designers and architectural practices have attempted to resolve this issue at a variety of household, communal and urban scales.
Read MoreArchitecture is often seen as an artistic pursuit, with magazine spreads posting glossy photos of delicate designs in wealthy suburbs for a star-studded, affluent clientele. Alternatively, the so-called drivers of sustainable architecture often works within the confines of major corporations or large government entities, seeing green architecture as a means of rebranding and generating the image of sustainability. What we often forget and ignore are those less fortunate in society, people who are arguably in greater need of sustainable livelihoods than those in our urban environments.
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