continued

In his 2002 Pritzker Prize acceptance speech, Murcutt said: "I cannot pursue my architecture without considering the minimization of energy consumption, simple and direct technologies, a respect for site, climate, place and culture. Together, these disciplines represent for me a fantastic platform for experimentation and expression. Of particular importance is the junction of the rational and the poetic resulting hopefully in works that resonate and belong to where they reside."

As the 65th recipient of the Gold Medal, the AIA's highest honor for an individual, Murcutt joins such influential masters as Walter Gropius (Gold Medal 1959), Alvar Aalto (1963), Norman Foster (1994), Tadao Ando (2002), and Renzo Piano (2008).

An Early Start

Murcutt was born in London in 1936 to Australian parents. He grew up primarily in the Sydney area — a place he describes as formative in shaping his understanding of the natural world — but spent his early childhood in a remote area of New Guinea, where the simple vernacular architecture left a lasting impression.

Murcutt recalls working in his father's joinery shop during school breaks, and living in a household where small construction projects were regular occurrences. The elder Murcutt shared with his son a love for the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau and for modern architecture. As a teenager, Murcutt learned about Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Gordon Drake, Ray and Charles Eames, and others through his father's architecture magazines.

Murcutt reports that school was challenging for him. But he succeeded in studying architecture at the University of New South Wales starting in 1956. One particularly influential teacher was Noel Bazeley, who started a yearlong course on building construction with the subject of "continuity in nature."

After graduating in 1961, Murcutt traveled in Europe for two years. The architecture of the Greek Islands, and of Jørn Utzon and Alvar Aalto, proved especially influential.

In 1964 he returned to Sydney and joined the office of Ancher, Mortlock, Murray and Woolley for five years. Murcutt cites Sydney Ancher as one of his significant influences.

Later, in a 1973 trip to Europe and North America, Murcutt visited the Maison de Verre by Pierre Chareau and Bernard Bijvoët in Paris, met Spanish architect José Coderch, and saw works by Luis Barragán in Mexico City and Wright's Robie House in Chicago, among others.

Deliberate Practice

Since forming his own practice in Sydney in 1969, Murcutt has preferred to work alone, in contrast to most other architects of his stature. "Glenn Murcutt has no employees, no assistants, no email address, and no website," remarked Tom Howorth in his nomination letter.

Murcutt explained in his Pritzker Prize acceptance speech, "By working alone, I freed myself of the pressures of responsibility towards staff." He takes advantage of this freedom by traveling and teaching around the world. When a project warrants it, he collaborates with peer architects, including his wife, Wendy Lewin.

Murcutt's oeuvre consists almost entirely of single-family houses. "I tire of working on one project for too long, and larger projects mean years," he said. "To work on many smaller projects involves many clients. This provides the opportunity for much experimentation and hence stimulation for me."

Each building responds to its environment to reduce energy usage; Murcutt seeks to tread lightly on the Earth. He selects materials that have consumed as little energy as possible in their manufacture, and will consume as little as possible in the operation of the house, as reported in ArchitectureWeek No. 94. The houses respond to all manner of climatic conditions; in most cases they function without air conditioning or heating other than a fireplace.

This requires controlling sunlight penetration and manipulating the breezes at various times of the year and the day. He uses adjustable, exterior metal storm blinds to keep the sun's heat out and maintain privacy but allow air movement. He also varies roof pitch according to a region's latitude and climate. In some areas, he overlaps layers of roof to promote natural ventilation.

"I'm very interested in buildings that adapt to changes in climatic conditions according to the seasons, buildings capable of responding to our physical and psychological needs in the way that clothing does," said Murcutt, as quoted in Technology Place and Architecture: The Jerusalem Seminar in Architecture, edited by Kenneth Frampton. "Occupying one of these buildings is like sailing a yacht; you modify and manipulate its form and skin according to seasonal conditions and natural elements, and work with these to maximize the performance of the building."

Murcutt has also said,"A building should be able to open up and say, 'I am alive and looking after my people,' or instead, 'I'm closed now, and I'm looking after my people as well.' This to me is the real issue, buildings should respond... They should open and close and modify and re-modify, and blinds should turn and open and close, open a little bit without complication... All this makes a building live."   >>>

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Boyd Education Centre serves as a retreat for artists-in-residence and visiting students. Photo: Courtesy AIA Extra Large Image Murcutt's work has focused primarily on private residences, such as the Marika-Alderton House in the Yirrkala Community, Northern Territory. Photo: Courtesy AIA The Marie Short House (1975) in New South Wales employs cross- and stack-ventilation techniques to mitigate the warm, humid conditions. Photo: Glenn Murcutt The Bowali Visitor Information Centre at Kakadu National Park is the result of a rare collaboration with a firm. Photo: Courtesy AIA Extra Large Image A fireplace, often painted in a signature red, is typically the only significant heating source in Murcutt's residential projects. Photo: William P. Mullins III, AIA Extra Large Image Murcutt's signature style often includes corrugated-metal roofs and an unusual exaggerated gutter and downspout design, as in the Magney House in Bingie Bingie, New South Wales. Photo: Courtesy AIA At the Fletcher-Page House, a single gutter extends well beyond the roof's end, feeding multiple cisterns. Photo: William P. Mullins III, AIA Extra Large Image The Walsh House (2005) is one of Murcutt's most recent houses. Photo: Courtesy AIA   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.