Young Architects Forum at Natural Artifice

The Young Architects Forum at the 2011 national architecture conference, Natural Artifice, allowed emerging architects to discuss their work.

The title “young architects” is slightly misleading. None of the presenters at the Young Architects Forum were particularly “young” – perhaps they would be more accurately labelled as “emerging.” However, this is really just an indication that it normally takes a substantial amount of time to establish oneself within the architectural profession. For a recent graduate, this is quite a sobering fact. In the context of a national architecture conference, it was great to see the inclusion of this group of up-and-coming architects – however, for the emerging architects themselves, it was a challenging task to present after a day of lectures by internationally acclaimed professionals.

Unfortunately the structured format of the evening meant that it became less of an interactive forum and more of a static series of project presentations. This was then exacerbated by a rather negative critique of the work by the provocative François Roche, who appeared to also misunderstand the context of the presentations. One of his main criticisms related to the work being unoriginal. Perhaps some of the work could be seen as derivative; however, for an emerging architect it would seem important to take and learn from others, building a firm foundation on which to grow. Looking at this criticism in a broader context, perhaps an element of derivativeness is unavoidable in Australia’s conservative milieu? In the main program of the conference, Luis Callejas and Sebastian Mejia of Paisajes Emergentes spoke evocatively about new techniques for mediating built and natural environments. These two young guys (both under thirty years old) discussed a number of challenging projects and ideas which, as a young person, left me completely inspired and excited about the possibilities of design. It also made me wonder, what is it about the Australian context that makes it hard for emerging architects? For a start, young, inexperienced practices would not be given the opportunity to design and build projects of the same scale as those produced by Paisajes Emergentes in Colombia. Secondly, the rules and regulations of building within Australia are generally more restrictive.

The Foyn-Johanson house by Harrison and White.

The Foyn-Johanson house by Harrison and White.

Many of the projects presented in the Young Architects Forum were houses, including those by Marcus White (of Harrison and White), James Stockwell, Andrew Simpson, Drew Heath and David Boyle. Each of the houses had a clear concept and was beautifully executed. The Foyn-Johanson house by Harrison and White, in particular, uses a process of subtraction relating to planning constraints and the path of the sun to derive the form of the building. Roche criticized this project for its derivative nature. Although this subtraction strategy has been used before, the resultant form is something unusual – definitely not a form that is common within Australian suburbs, but perhaps more akin to something found in Japan. More importantly, the primary strategy of the house tackles issues specific to Australian housing around preserving the flow of light into the garden (with everyone adding a second storey to their homes). The external surface becomes both sun screening and balustrade, appearing as a barn-like structure. Although this project isn’t revolutionary, it demonstrates a clear understanding of Australian conditions.

Of a more public nature was the project presented by Ingrid Richards and Adrian Spence, of Richards and Spence. The St Ignatius Primary School project in Brisbane took Utzon’s description of platforms and plateaus to create an invented landscape with the qualities of a ruin. There was rawness to the pavilion, with a deliberately limited palette of materials and a strategic integration into the site. The stunning imagery presented by the team gave the impression that the structure had always been there. The architecture is quietly elegant, with references to the work of Utzon.

The St Ignatius Primary School project by Richards & Spence, presented at the Young Architects Forum.

The St Ignatius Primary School project by Richards & Spence, presented at the Young Architects Forum.

Perhaps one of the most evocative and conceptual presentations was Rory Hyde’s discussion of his Bucky Bar in Amsterdam. Playing with the idea of Buckminster Fuller’s domes, this was a one-night installation comprising a set of red umbrellas that created a spontaneous public building. Over the course of the night, the umbrellas were detached and the dome disintegrated. In the Australian context, Russell Lowe was probably the most challenging, with his seven-metre bar in Sydney, completed with Richard Goodwin and Adrian McGregor. Including jacked-up boats and BMWs, the opening night of this installation was recorded, with a video-game overlay giving a new spatial experience of the project. This exploration of video-game overlays has instigated further studies into using game programming for three-dimensional scanning, hinting at an exciting method of spatial mapping.

Despite the static nature of the evening, all the work presented was admirable. But still, in general, the work appeared more conservative than that seen by emerging architects in other parts of the world. Luis Mansilla, another panellist for the evening, offered some advice to conclude the evening: “Don’t make something rational that is just intuitive.” He suggested that by trying to map or strategize a project, the complexity is simplified and, as a result, the project becomes less interesting. This advice seems to go against most of what is learnt at Australian architecture schools – but perhaps he has a point.


Read more articles about the 2011 national architecture conference here.

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Published online: 12 Oct 2011
Words: Katelin Butler

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Architecture Australia, July 2011

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