Sydney Ancher And Richard Leplastrier

Since the early twentieth century, Australian architects started to abandon the impacts of British colonialism, followed with a consideration of new Australian national identity. The concepts of nationalism and regionalism emerged from numerous modern architecture, Sydney Ancher and Richard Leplastrier were the representatives, who practiced with pragmatic response to the vernacular climate and geographic conditions of the Australian landscape. However, their works had alike implication of foreign movements, particularly the influence from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Jørn Utzon and traditional Japanese architecture.

Sydney Ancher
Grafting international characteristics from the visit of the 1931 International Building Exhibition in Berlin, adapted
with endemic geography and climate, to trend a new lifestyle; Ancher as a pioneer of the modern movement in Australia, formed his architectural principles which characterised his later works. The Prevost House, built in Bellevue Hill in 1937, sophistically interpreted nautical influences by the affinity with Mies van der Rohe’s design of Villa Tugendhat at Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1930. This building is conspicuous from the street due to the white painted exterior walls, emphasised by blue eaves and scarlet columns, the reflection of architectural modernism then emerged from this similar approach to the exterior of Tugendhat House. This idea was illustrated in interior synchronously, the particular connection was the root of spatial conception in Barcelona Pavilion. Free planed living room occupies major space on ground floor, fulfilled multiple uses in this area. Ancher applied two panels of floor to ceiling glass on north side wall, eliminate visual barriers to create a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing the afternoon sun to enter. Further separated a tiny dining room from the living area by a semicircular screen, imitated the dining alcove from Mies’ design, with a north orientation to provide a glimpse of the terrace. A curved sliding door attached on the screen contributes a path to the service zone, such epitome echo with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House by its compartmentalised planning indirectly; setting the service block back from the living space, revealed the international impact of functionalism in Australia.

Responding to regional conditions with the affinity of Mies’ exhibition house, was the fundamental philosophy for the design of Hamill House at 4 Maytone Avenue, Killara. This building engaged the landform by its earth-hugging structure, scribed brickwork over the rounded outcropping boulder integrated the house and existing topography to represent Ancher’s respect for the site. Meanwhile, implementing external facades by white rectilinear walls which driven from the concept of the Exhibition House, emphasised the modernism through the contrast with natural contours. The influence of that House was further conveyed by the interior, free planned large living space separated service zone and private rooms, with two facades of extensive glass which extend visual size of the interior; to generate a ‘togetherness’ atmosphere and amplify the visual connection of the site. Furthermore, the utilisation of platform as the ground floor for this dwelling, subsidiarily resulted large front and back terraces mirrored with the upper floor of Villa Tugendhat; produced an area almost as large as that allocated to indoor living. Due to this issue, Ancher expended structural framing with a colonial type of verandah, to respond his cogitation of Australian regionalism. This approach generated a transition area to consolidate the connection between indoor and outdoor space. Thus Jennifer Taylor elaborated the functionality of Verandah as an exterior living area to accommodate activities, whereby people change their lifestyle by using of this space. Nevertheless, David Sounders deemed the function of verandah and pergolas is based on Ancher’s consistent interest of Australian building problems, especially its climatic distinctiveness to mediate indoor and outdoor environment.

A steep seaside site in North Curl Curl NSW provided location for the Farley House, Ancher’s contribution of modern movement is distinctly represented by the use of flat roof and the publicity of its court case. This building accomplished the free planar treatment afresh, manifested Ancher’s admiration of international style. Installing a flat concrete slab on few brick walls and concrete columns, with an extension on three sides of the building, allowing winter sun to come in while protecting from the summer heat, reveals his consideration of local climatic peculiarity. Moreover, the promotion of this philosophy and the reverence of nature is demonstrated by the use of pergolas. One of three pergolas was placed over the entrance, created a semi-enclosed space with vegetation, reflected with surrounding environment to integrate the building and site harmoniously. Since the post war austerity measurement for dwelling, this house was limited in twelve hundred square feet and only one bedroom.

Richard Leplastrier

Reinterpreting Jørn Utzon’s design principals and Eastern Asian architectural influences, amalgamate with aboriginal concepts; The Palm Garden House locates in Northern Beaches, revealed Richard Leplastrier’s philosophy to respect and preserve human, materials, landscape and nature.
Positioning house to against the southern boundary with large north-east facing openings, allows adequate daylights to enter and maximally protects existing nature aspects in the garden; Leplastrier maintained the strong connection between house and garden, to convey his influence from traditional Japanese architecture and the ‘aboriginal concept of unity with the landscape’. In consequence, he arranged a linear planning for the house due to the limitation of space, applied a traditional Japanese style spinal gallery to separate it in three parts, with the achievement of ‘servant’ and ‘served’ area concept which was found by Louis Kahn. Nevertheless, Rory Spence realised all these approach had an affinity with Utzon’s abortive ‘Espansiva’ proposal. Leplastrier further extended the connotation of the linear spine based on Japanese monastic cloister, combined with a feature of vernacular dwellings to create a verandah type space partly along to the house, providing a space for contemplation as an intense representation of Japanese Culture. Placing the entrance with sliding timber doors at the right angle to the street, Leplastrier produced a small courtyard to become a transition area which linked
the spinal gallery, to represent the Japanese indirect arrangement.

The impression of Balé, a traditional Balinese open pavilion in the wall family house compound during his Bali trip, encouraged him to apply a high perimeter wall adjacent to the boundaries. The Roman red colour of clay gathered from Terrey hills, rammed from floor to ceiling with a stratified process, hinted Leplastrier’s principle of employ regional materials. Hence, the house attains a protective enclosure by the rammed earth wall with massive interior openness, to echo the inspiration of Japanese temple compounds. This principle was conveyed by the use of openable external fabric walls in the day room, with the similarity of Japanese Shoji paper screen embodied by the mysterious light when they closed. Leplastrier enhanced this idea through the utilisation of an open roof in day room. The translucent fabric attached on curved steel frame, running manually into the corrugated roof by rubber wheels, enlarged the space by the integration with tree canopies and the sky. Unlike the composition for the day room, Leplastrier applied thin redwood walls and ceilings in night room to develop its enclosed character. As an imitation in real life which was depicted in ‘View from Massaki’, one of Hiroshiga woodblock that Spence alluded in his essay. Adding the floor heating system to major interior area, emphasis his local climatic consideration and his infatuation of Japanese philosophy to warm the body rather than house.

‘Platforms and Plateaus’, chronicled in Utzon’s essay, he mentioned the integration of platform and the jungle in Mexico, is the reference for night room.
On the other hand, Leplastrier visited Spain in early 1971, obtained the inspiration from Alhambra’s Islamic pools in Granada; demonstrated a ‘borrow landscape’ effect in this house via a reflection pool in the garden. The altitude difference of the room and the land with the reflection of the pool carry out the sense of platform through the site. Borrowing Utzon’s U beam roofing system from his Bayview project, Leplastrier formed roofs by two vaults and two parallel semicircular gutter for two rooms, the spine and the service zone. These elements are all interlinked, but also supported individually by steel framework with high specification paint finishing to resist erosion. All materials are treated deliberately with the as-worked character, blend with Utzon’s doctrine of prefabrication and Japanese modular system; which extends the life of the structure and materials. Leplastrier’s restraint of nail fixing on structure diminishes the damage of timber when disassembling the building, this aspect effects the visibility of construction. Additionally, this significant inspiration of the Shinto Shrine buildings at Ise is conveyed by the layering of materials on roof verge, with the hierarchy of redwood ceiling, tampered steel purlins and corrugated copper
roof.

Manipulating the integration of building and site as a catalyst for subsequent design decision, becomes the major similarity between Ancher and Leplastrier. Nevertheless, Ancher displayed the unalterable research of simplicity and intensive interest of local climate. Whereas Leplastrier esteemed the nature of the site to ‘utterly remove the European veil that haunted Australia’s architectural manner’. These two professionals demonstrated the significant role of international influence in shaping Australian architecture, depicted the connection between the preceding and the following which impacts younger generation.