Part B: Analysis of Archetype



Architect
Glenn Murcutt

 

http://www.jamestaylorassociates.com.au/cgi-bin/cart/cat.cgi?display=5hd2p96d90&br=Special%20Projects


Pritzker Prize winner Glenn Murcutt was ahead of his time in his sustainable approach to architecture (Canberra Times, 2010). Rather than imposing his designs on a site, he ‘discovers’ them from analyzing the natural conditions of the site itself. For his famous design that is the Marika-Alderton house, he designed a house that would be physically modifiable by the clients to suit the climatic changes of the extreme environment of the Northern territory. He created an architecture that is much like clothing, where layers may be removed or added to suit the current climate and weather (The Hyatt Foundation, 2002).

Exemplar Building Analysis

Marika-Alderton House

The Marika-Alderton house by Glenn Murcutt is a design response to the local environment of the Northern Territory. The resulting building is not only "delightfully comfortable" to live in, but is also sustainable as it has little impact on the environment (Dovey, 2000). Its sustainable and natural design expresses the architect's desire to design buildings which "exist in harmony with nature" (The Hyatt Foundation, 2002).

(http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ihsuanw/ARCH211/1_2_ihsuanw.pdf)

House as an environmental filter

The Marika-Alderton house is adapted to the harsh climate of the Northern Territory, where locals face high heat, insects and seasonal rains and floods. In response to the extreme climatic conditions, the architect has designed a building whose form can be modified to adapt to climatic changes; the outer walls of the house have wooden flaps which can be opened up to form protection against sun and rain (The Hyatt Foundation, 2002). Opening up the flaps fully maximizes ventilation and natural light into the building. This helps to avoid stuffiness and to cool down the interior spaces by allowing airflow into the building which is desirable in the hot climate of the Northern Territory (Canberra Times, 2010). Furthermore, the open nature of the house allows a lot of natural light into the building's interiors, thus reducing the need for artificial lighting during daytime which also contributes towards making the house's design environmentally-friendly.

Metal tubes are installed along the roof to let out hot air, while “vertical fins direct cooling breezes into the living spaces” to cool down the building on hot days (Australian Government, 2010). This design solution cools the living spaces naturally, thus eliminating the need for air-conditioning which makes the building environmentally sustainable. 

The whole building is raised off the ground on stilts, which protects it from flooding and insects (Evans and The National Trust of Queensland, 2001, 28). Raising the house also has the benefit of allowing air to circulate underneath the building, thus cooling the floors and making the house comfortable even in very hot climate.  The spaces between each floorboard allow air to go up to the interior spaces and cool these spaces down. The final result is a building that provides comfortable environment for its users despite the harsh conditions of the natural surrounding environment (Australian Government, 2010) (Canberra Times, 2010).

House as a container of activities

Upon entry into the Marika-Alderton house, users are greeted with the open plan of the kitchen and living area, which are the more public spaces in the house. These public spaces are kept on the east side of the building, which faces the community and is also where users enter the building. Private spaces (bedrooms and ablutions spaces), on the other hand are grouped together on the west side of the building. This ensures the privacy of the bedrooms and bathrooms because this way, they are kept the farthest away from the building’s entrance.

Furthermore, it can be observed from the floor plan that the private spaces appear more closed off with thick walls surrounding each bedroom and washroom. The east side of the building, which is the public space, has an open plan and seems more spacious thus emphasizing the fact that it is meant for use by many people.  

The users may change the degree of privacy in each space by closing or opening the wooden flaps on the walls (Canberra Times, 2010). When all the flaps are opened, the house becomes a public space that is like an open shelter, with only a roof on top and open on all sides to the surrounding natural environment and neighbours. When fully closed, the house becomes a private space, and the absence of glass windows means viewers outside the house may not see what the users inside the house are doing when the flaps are closed (Canberra Times, 2010).

House is a delightful experience

The house utilizes its natural surroundings in creating a delightful experience for its users. Its openness allows unobstructed views from the house to the surrounding environment and makes the interior spaces of the house feel more spacious than it is. When fully opened, the house acts as an open shelter which allows its users to fully experience the natural environment while still being comfortably indoors.

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ihsuanw/ARCH211/1_2_ihsuanw.pdf

The building’s natural and lightweight materials, i.e. timber and steel, as well as the absence of glass ensure that the building has a strong connection with the outdoors (Australian Institute of Architects, 2010). Users may experience nature with all of their senses; they may feel the breeze, smell the fresh air and see the unobstructed sights of nature from inside the house. This ensures that the house provides a delightful experience for those who desire a strong connection with nature.   

References

Australian Government. 2010. Modern Australian residential architecture. http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/architecture/modernresidential/ (accessed March 12, 2011).

Australian Institute of Architects. 2010. Nationally Significant 20^th-Century Architecture: Marika-Alderton House. http://www.architecture.com.au/emailnews/national/Heritage/Marika_Residence_NT_amended%5B1%5D.pdf (accessed March 17, 2011).

Canberra Times. 2010. Murcutt’s Grand Idea. The Canberra Times, April 4, 8. (accessed March 6, 2011, from Factiva database)

Dovey, K.  2000. Myth and Media: Constructing Aboriginal Architecture. Journal of Architectural Education, 54(1): 2-6. (accessed March 10, 2011, from JSTOR database).

Evans, I. and The National trust of Queensland. 2001. The Queensland House: History and Conservation. Australia: The Flannel Flower Press Pty Ltd.

The Hyatt Foundation. 2002. The Pritzker Architecture Prize 2002: Presented to Glenn Marcus Murcutt. Jensen & Walker Inc., Los Angeles, California.