Originally published in
dailytelegraph.com.au
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| Architect Julian Rutt at his home which he designed. Picture: Sam Wundke. |
A TOUGH economic climate hasn’t deterred some of Adelaide’s visionary young architects from chasing their career dreams.
In recent times a group of breakaway architects has left bigger, established firms to kickstart their own design practices and the more entrepreneurial of them are managing to carve out successful solo careers.
Here’s the stories of three of them.
GREG Bond, 41, launched Atelier Bond last year after a solid few years working locally and internationally.
“I was lucky that I had a great mentor (Francesco Bonato at Tectvs) at the start of my career which gave me a good base before I set off overseas, first to Dubai and then San Francisco,” he says.
“My first project in Dubai was worth $US1.7 billion ... it was a surreal experience being thrown onto a project of that magnitude and that feeling was only amplified when I had to walk past two tigers every time I had a meeting at the developer’s office!
“In Dubai, everything moved at a very fast pace, so I quickly learned to back my own judgment and to be confident in the work I was doing.”
Greg says the scale and pace of projects overseas was “so intense” he had to learn quickly to take his work approach to the next level.
“I gained so much vastly varied experience, not just from a design perspective but also culturally, and I’ve brought that home with me to apply to projects here,” he says.
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| Greg Bond branched out on his own last year — and is already enjoying international success. Picture: Dylan Coker |
Adelaide, he notes, is a different city to the one he and his wife Leisha left in 2006.
“We have two world-class universities here feeding the local industry with enthusiasm and some new ways of thinking and we have a rich pedigree of experienced practitioners who contribute a lot to the local design culture,” he says.
“We’ve also got a strong network of professionals who all know and collaborate with each other really quite well, we all studied together, and aren’t afraid of pushing each other’s ideas a bit. “
He says the push to make the CBD a more vibrant place is encouraging but laments local architects are “still unnecessarily sometimes overlooked” for high-profile projects in favour of the bigger players in the eastern states.
Greg, who names his architectural hero as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (one of the forefathers of Modernism) says the most enjoyment he gets out of a project is to actually see it built.
“Even though I worked on some incredible projects overseas, the GFC stopped all of them in their tracks and they have unfortunately remained only as lines on paper,” he says.
“It’s the projects that have been built that bring me joy, not only because I get to stand within something that was once only an idea, but because I also get to know that I’ve helped changed the lifestyles of my clients, even if it’s only in some small way.
“As fun as it is to visit the finished product, my clients get to live with it and, as cheesy as it sounds, that’s a huge thrill.”
Atelier Bond doesn’t adhere to a “rigid design style” and Greg says he acknowledges a theme of “clean, sophisticated elegance” emerging in his work.
“My clients have their own understanding about what their needs are before I even step into the room, so I don’t see it as my role to dictate to them what they need, so I like to work with my clients and contribute to their ideas, rather than take over,” he says.
“When I was working in America, I saw more than my fair share of arrogant architects who had no problem with telling the client what they were going to get, full stop … I got to a point where I started resenting architects on their behalf.”
INTERNATIONAL travel also broadened the design horizons for Luke Willis, 41, who runs Hosking Willis Architecture with business partner, Sam Hosking.
“The more exposure I’ve had to different design approaches around the world, the more layers my own work has taken on,” Luke says.
He says he was lucky to see some “truly inspiring examples of architecture” when working in London and studying in Vietnam.
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Sam Hosking and Luke Willis are co-Directors of
Hosking Willis Architecture. Picture: Sam Wundke |
“I was exposed to varied ways of designing for different climates, cultures and ways of living and in Vietnam, for example, many homes use big, open canopy roofs and open, well-ventilated spaces … these ideas work really well here.”
Luke’s work has spanned luxury homes, a complex new hospital in England and high-density and affordable housing. At the moment, Hosking Willis Architecture is working on a challenging turn-of-the-century house in Adelaide.
“We’re designing a modern extension for this beautiful old State Heritage-listed home in Wayville that used be a dance theatre club in the seventies … it’s a really unusual example of architecture and mixes bungalow with Scottish baronial castle and has thrown in a bit of Arts and Crafts for good measure,” he says.
“It was built by Walter Torode (a builder known for his innovative use of reinforced concrete in residential design) and we don’t want to compromise any of the special details like curved, fluted eaves and castle-like parapets but we’re also working on creating a beautiful new living space for the family that now calls it home.”
Luke and Sam agree basic principles of natural light and ventilation are integral to their designs. “To us, it’s about creating living spaces that are a pleasure to be inside, we also love using natural materials that reflect our Australian identity and also promote sustainable design,” Luke says.
“We love the challenge of adapting and redeveloping older properties, not only to preserve their heritage, but because recycling buildings is a just a responsible and sustainable thing to do.”
JULIAN Rutt, 40, of Lumen Studio says designing and building his own home has been the biggest work challenge he’s faced.
His home, one of two residences called Billabong Houses, scored a commendation and the people’s choice award for residential architecture in this year’s SA Architecture Awards.
“I’ve had the chance to work on large, fast-track commercial projects and converting heritage-listed warehouses into low-income apartments but the most challenging work has definitely been my own house,” Julian says.
“This is mainly because an architect will be their most difficult client, it’s like the design version of the saying that ‘a builder’s house is never finished’, and I was fastidious in detailing, constantly revising and working with a comparatively limited budget.”
Julian, who has industry experience in Adelaide and London, started his practice so he could follow his own philosophies.
“I began to want to steer my own ship and be able to implement my ideas around sustainable architecture and carve my own niche,” he says.
Julian says Adelaide has been undergoing “a long overdue design renaissance” in recent years which he says is partly due to work by the Integrated Design Commission (now called the Office of Design and Architecture SA)
“Having a town planner as Lord Mayor (Stephen Yarwood) has also helped continue this focus at a council level and Adelaide is benefiting immensely from this,” he says.
“It’s especially visible, I think, when you see the activation of formerly dead streets and empty pockets in the city, the River Bank precinct, Victoria Square, even the Royal Adelaide Hospital ideas competition.
“It’s showing signs of flowing through to clients who are becoming more design savvy and wanting more than the low-cost box.”
“Warm minimalism” is one way Julian describes his design style which is about clean lines, strongly defined shapes and a warm palette of materials.
“Environmental sustainability runs to the core of my work, integrally, and it’s not lip service or an after thought,” he says.
“I use natural light in varying ways to sculpt and animate spaces, to show the passing of seasons and, when it’s possible, I like to inject little elements of whimsy to set it apart.”
- Originally published in dailytelegraph.com.au
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