Operate a house like a sailboat - In conversation with Glenn Murcutt.

At the recent AIA National Architecture Conference in Sydney, the afternoon’s session with Glenn Murcutt provided a much needed, defined, insightful, and inspirational recharge for us as architects; with an in-depth and refreshingly inspirational exploration of ideas on how we practice and what we do.

Providing context and shedding light on the important impact that our upbringing can play upon our fundamental approach to practice, Glenn Murcutt began with a personal overview of his own upbringing and the formative experiences which shaped his perspective. Living in PNG, the notion of ‘prospect and refuge’ in everyday life informed Glenn’s perception of space, and built form. Building, model making, and the careful analysis of nature’s environmental patterns formed the fundamental designing principles; with landscape and design thereby being closely interlinked. An analogy which Murcutt uses is to “operate a house like a sailboat”, thus articulating maximising materials with no material wastage through a careful consideration and evaluation of each built element and their function; and most importantly, the connection and calibration of nature through each built form - like water, air, light, not dissimilar to a sailboat. Thus in built form, the topography, geometry, and geomorphology, should become crucial – that is how we can site a building.

In developing the discussion from one’s approach to design, we need tools and ways to visualise, test, and explore our ideas before they become a built reality. Murcutt discussed his view on this method, a process so integral in our practice. The tension existing between drawing and technology – a long standing discussion and debate, is still a common subject in contemporary architectural circles. Mucutt brought insights into this discussion, very much food for thought. The pencil and the hand have an emotion, and there exists a tension between the pencil and paper. This is an element, which Murcutt debates, that cannot be replicated by a computer. The computer is an effective instrument only, but is not capable of fostering such relationships and tensions that drawing by hand can wield. Further, Murcutt reiterated, “when one is drawing, one is visualising it”. Importantly, bringing to light the ideas that drawing has the ability at “arriving at the solution before you get there – before your conscience”. Such does follow, as Murcutt pointedly stated, “the computer has led to some very stupid buildings”. Elaborating upon this, drawing allows fluidity and scale in design. The work of computer is too complete, too quickly. Murcutt urged us all as architects to read ‘Thinking by Hand’ by Pallasmaa. Such insights and thoughts were found to be resonant, and urges all to reflect on effective design process in practice.

[...drawing has the ability to arrive at the solution before you get there – before your conscience...]

Delving more deeply into the fundamental core of architectural practice, Murcutt then prompted us into self-question about our current practice: what makes good practice, a good architect, a healthy student, a satisfying career? Quality is important – the need to ask ‘is this good enough?’ Murcutt believes the quality of our current project will be the quality of our next client. Should we take the risk, and not do our best, the risk is our reputation, and thus the quality of our next client. Absorbing these thoughts, all of a sudden this becomes not only a question of our integrity, but also of sound business practice. Murcutt extends upon this to urge us to ‘make the building how you want it to work’ – it puts us as responsible players in the creation of buildings for our clients, answerable to ourselves. This also extends to our consultant networks. Murcutt reiterates the importance in practice of having close and long-standing relationships with our collaborators, such as engineers – thereby allow for a two-way relationship with those consultants to really know our way of practice, and for us to know theirs, and thereby the ultimate alignment of goals and design aspirations is more likely to be achieved.

As an interesting extension to the idea of resilience in architectural practice, Murcutt also explored the benefits of teaching, having held many teaching positions at Universities both locally, and internationally. Murcutt highlighted how this keeps one sharp, and forces one to articulate between good, bad, etc., in design and practice. We all need to keep sharp, focused and to not stagnate in our design or architectural practice. Hearing the personal experience from Murcutt in a refreshingly candid manner, provided great reinforcement and confidence to keep growing, to keep learning, keep questioning, and to keep it real.