Aussie architects had it rough during World War II. There were strict government guidelines regarding the size and cost of any new project. However, the end of the war saw the return of servicemen and an influx of immigrants from many European countries. This combination resulted in a housing shortage; 400,000 new homes were urgently needed. The ornate bungalows of the 1930s and ‘40s with eaves, verandahs and fireplaces were no longer affordable to build, so the prefab was born.
Rows and rows of quarter-acre (about 1000 square metres) blocks with box-like homes appeared, with no evident architectural features. But soon a few young, well-travelled and optimistic architects embraced the arrival of the 1950s. Economic prosperity was on the rise, new building materials and technologies were being explored and Australians were thirsty for the latest styles. These architects were inventive and daring in their approach, taking principles from European and American architects and designing for the local environment.
Early 1950s avant-garde architecture in Australia saw the emergence of two schools of thought and practice. One was known for displaying the principles of international style. The other showed certain similarities with Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.
Both schools may have had very different approaches and outcomes, but they did share the same basic principles. First, they wanted to restore the dignity they felt had been lost with the prefabricated boom. They also believed that simplicity was the key to great design. Both groups agreed they would not design facades simply to comply with the strict regulations of the time. Spatial composition became a form of expression. Finally, both groups believed that a building’s function was the only basis for planning and should be expressed in the building’s form.
Significant examples of Mid-century Modern Australian home design
1. Rose Seidler House
A young architect named Harry Seidler, who had trained at Harvard University under Marcel Breuer, was a leading proponent of the first style mentioned above. In 1950 he built a modernist home in Sydney’s Wahroonga bushland that adhered to these principles. The house, called Rose Seidler House, appeared to float, with spindly legs and a side ramp for support.
Using Breuer’s binuclear layout, he designed one arm of the home to contain the living areas and the other arm to contain the private areas. A playroom connects the two internally, and a courtyard connects them externally. With few internal walls and floor-to-ceiling glass, Seidler created a sense of openness that is now essential to contemporary living.
Photo by Flickr user Rory Rory
2. The Fenner House
Designed by Robin Boyd in 1952, The Fenner House draws its inspiration from Marcel Breuer’s Geller House.
The house, shaped like an ‘H’, was laid out according to the time of day and the accompanying sunlight. Turn right at the glass entrance and you’ll find a north-facing living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry that cater to all the daytime activities. Turn left and you’ll find south-facing bedrooms, a study, a playroom and a garage.
Photo by Flickr user Canberra House
3. The Audette House
Peter Muller was another young Australian Mid-century architect with strong new ideas. The Audette House, designed and built in Sydney in 1953, was his first commission as a qualified architect.
Although Muller’s design was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, his choice of materials honoured the Australian environment. Copper, timber and stone all blend into the surrounding flora and fauna. The strong use of horizontal lines connect and integrate the home in to the landscape.
Just before construction began, the client purchased cheap wire-cut bricks instead of sandstone, without Muller’s knowledge. Experimenting with the cheap bricks, Muller got the excess mortar to ooze out and dry between the layers. Random bricks were then taken out and pieces of terrazzo were slotted in, as seen on the exterior, which gives the building a more organic feel.
Even by today’s standards this home is an example of dynamic and significant architecture – it must have caused quite a stir in the 1950s.
Photo by Henry Tapia
4. The McCraith House
In the 1950s holiday homes started to become an affordable idea. In 1955 architects David Chancellor and William Patrick were commissioned to design a house overlooking a popular beach destination outside of Melbourne – The McCraith House. Influenced by the architect Richard Neutra and his Miller House design, the structure makes heavy use of glass and steel.
The house was constructed using two triangulated truss frames fixed at four points to concrete footings. C-section steel beams and steel cross bracing tie the main frame together. The two steel floor beams support the timber floor joists, which are cantilevered at either end.
The McCraith House was seen as highly creative and structurally experimental; its triangular design made use of Chancellor’s background in structural engineering to full effect. Conventional building materials were scarce after World War II, so the idea of using prefabricated steel on this scale in a domestic setting was inspired.
Photo by Sean Guy
5. The River House
Peter McIntyre designed this innovative house for his family in 1955. Perched high on a hill overlooking the river, the house is visible only in winter because of the dense foliage.
This three-storey A-frame was built using exposed steel. The structure cantilevers 12 metres out and almost three metres above the ground. The exterior cladding was originally made of compressed straw – an experimental product at the time. However, the house got too cold in winter, so the material was replaced in the 1960s.Photo by Flickr user Rory Rory
6. The Round House
Designed by Alex Jelinek in 1957, this house has been described as one of Canberra’s most significant post-war international-style buildings.
The Round House was designed with a circular steel frame that radiates out from a central pool to form various rooms. Large sheets of glass were also used to achieve what was thought to be one of Australia’s first modern, complex geometric home designs.
In Australia you don’t have to look that far to find a contemporary architect who is inspired to design using similar principles of simplicity, dignity and strength. The innovative and ground-breaking architects whose work is described here have provided terrific inspiration.
Photo by Flickr user Canberra House
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