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Murcutt exemplifies an unusually great understanding of and sensitivity toward nature. "[I]n all of his works he has remained extremely aware of the way in which every intervention impacts the ecosystem in which one is working, from the drainage of storm water to the modification of native vegetation, from the erosion of soil to the embodiment of energy in all its hidden aspects," writes Frampton in his essay The Architecture of Glenn Marcus Murcutt.

House on the Maria River

An early and defining project was the Marie Short House (1975), located on a marshy floodplain overlooking the Maria River. For the humid subtropical climate of Kempsey, New South Wales, Murcutt sought to maximize natural ventilation and minimize solar gain. "One of the main discoveries was that anything less than a fully opening wall was inadequate in our climate (at Kempsey)," Murcutt says, as quoted in Touch This Earth Lightly by Philip Drew.

The home consists of two long, narrow pavilions arranged in parallel, staggered by one bay and connected by a hallway. Raising the house on stilts not only addressed the flood risk, but it also created an airfoil effect that increased wind speeds through the house. The open plan and linear arrangement of rooms provide for extensive cross-ventilation.

"The spatial ordering of the house — the play between symmetry and asymmetry, and between casualness and discipline — gives the living spaces a versatility which is remarkable, especially within Modernism, but quite characteristic of Murcutt's work," writes E.M. Farrelly in Three Houses: Glenn Murcutt. "Murcutt's interest in what he calls 'serenity,' his rejection of tension and spatial movement as interest-creating devices, are instrumental here."

As described by Frampton, the Marie Short farmhouse "inaugurated a spectacular series of light-weight, single-storey houses, elevated clear of the ground, framed in either timber or steel, or in a mixture of both and invariably roofed and/or clad in corrugated metal."

House in Glenorie

Also in New South Wales, the Ball-Eastaway House (1983) hovers above a sandstone plateau in the dry woodland of Glenorie, north of Sydney. Site impacts were kept to a minimum: the house was inserted between existing trees, and its stilts allow water to flow over the rock essentially uninterrupted.

"The house is a long, low, single-storey column and beam platform house entirely constructed in steel with a corrugated curved roof and timber terraces," describes Dennis Sharp in his Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History, as quoted in the Great Buildings Collection. "It sits poised above the undulating ground level on its six I-section columns, protected from bush fires with complete coverage from an external sprinkler system. A small, open-sided platform bridge runs from the car parking enclosure to the house itself."

House in East Arnhem Land

In Australia's rural Northern Territory, Murcutt designed a house for Aboriginal artist Marmburra Banduk Marika and her partner. A steel superstructure supports the Marika-Alderton House (1994), and a metal roof tops the building, but this house is clad in prefabricated timber components, reddish in color. Vertical fins jut out from the house to block low sun at sunrise and sunset, provide privacy between bedrooms, and reduce lateral wind velocity — in a place that can experience cyclonic conditions.

Art Center in Riversdale

One of Murcutt's relatively few public projects is the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre (1999) in Riversdale, New South Wales, designed with Wendy Lewin and Reg Lark. In ArchitectureWeek No. 66, Brook Muller described the elegant Boyd Centre, which served as the starting point for one of Murcutt's two-week master classes:

"The building perches on the edge of two worlds, facing a pastoral meadow that slopes down to the river, with its back to the 'bush' of steep eucalyptus-covered hills.

"Characteristic of Murcutt's work, the two main shed roofs of the Boyd building, covering the meeting room and the sleeping quarters, slope toward one another, and rainwater is captured in this 'valley' for later use. For Murcutt, these simple roof forms of corrugated iron serve as a metaphor for the river valley in which the building sits, where water drains into the Shoalhaven [River] from nearby hills and bluffs.

"Murcutt likens the experience of staying at Riversdale to camping. There is no heating system (particularly noticeable during the chilly and damp midwinter evenings), and the 'hallway' between the sleeping quarters and the main meeting space is a covered verandah, open at its sides.

"The sleeping quarters are small and wonderfully outfitted, like a ship's cabin. Each bed nests in an alcove with a lowered ceiling and a long low window at bed height that offers a panoramic view of the river. You wake at dawn to the riotous sounds of kookaburras and look out at the wind and the light on the surface of the river and decide what kind of day it will be."

International Teacher

In addition to leading his annual master classes in Australia in collaboration with other architect-instructors, Murcutt lectures and teaches frequently at numerous universities and institutions around the globe.

The keynote address he delivered at Greenbuild 2004 in Portland, Oregon, as reported by Brian Libby in ArchitectureWeek No. 223, exemplifies the inspiring energy he shares with students and audiences: "Murcutt awed the Greenbuild audience with the passion of his convictions... Citing simple thatched roof huts as the epitome of architectural beauty, Murcutt practically shouted: 'These people knew about place. But look at us. What poverty of spirit our built environment has!'"

Patricia Patkau, principal of Patkau Architects, praises Murcutt's influence on the field. "This conjunction of local interest and international perspective is an extremely effective didactic position, and has done much to raise the level of discussion in architecture generally."

The AIA Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. The award will be presented at the American Architectural Foundation's Accent on Architecture Gala on February 6, 2009, at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE As a part of his teaching activities, Murcutt leads an annual two-week intensive master class. Photo: Courtesy AIA Murcutt has also taught as visiting faculty at many architecture schools around the world. Photo: Courtesy AIA SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Marie Short House is composed of two parallel wings connected by a central hallway. Photo: Courtesy AIA Extra Large Image Murcutt bought the Marie Short House from his client and undertook a significant addition in 1980. Photo: Courtesy AIA For the Magney House in Bingie Bingie, Murcutt used an all-steel structure and parallel wings of unequal width. Photo: Courtesy AIA Extra Large Image The Done House in Sydney was a rare urban project for Murcutt. Photo: Reiner Blunck The Done House is arranged around a central courtyard. Photo: Courtesy AIA Extra Large Image With its vibrant colors and plaster walls, the Done House recalls vernacular Mediterranean house types. Photo: Reiner Blunck SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Excess water from the rainwater capture system at the Simpson-Lee House fills a reflecting pond, itself an emergency water supply in case of bush fire. Photo: Glenn Murcutt The Simpson-Lee House is set on a wooded site adjacent to a national park in Mount Wilson, northwest of Sydney. Photo: Courtesy AIA   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.