Architects ideas on architecture and design
When it comes to architecture and design Dunbar House’s Jennifer Taylor knows what she’s talking about. Being a very talented scholar and writer, Jennifer has published numerous books and written many an article for Architecture Australia. So it comes as no surprise when she has thusly expressed her views on design and architecture in the written form. The following are a list of her views as taken from an interview with Adrian Boddy for Architecture Australia (2002):
rejoice in the place
tune to the site
merge with the spirit
enrich the experience
surround the hearth
be sanctuary and stage
be river and pond
think of ecology
intensify nature
breathe in: breathe out
speak with the neighbours
enjoy from afar
work with the sky
respect the earth
invite the breeze
wail with the wind
smell the flowers
embrace the trees
drum with the rain
move with the sun
say hello to the stars
sing with the birds
dissolve the walls
welcome the creatures
frame the moon
shower under the sky
sit in the shade
seduce the friend
enhance the movement
change the mood
dance with the music
sparkle with waves
sleep with the fire
tune to the world
question convention
rethink the answers
shape the space
stroke the form
challenge the structure
delight in the details
touch the materials
entrance with the colour
pace with proportion
delight with light
look up: look down
breathe the air
Design intent behind Dunbar House
Looking more specifically at the design of Dunbar House, Jennifer Taylor has refined her principles of design, which is again showcased, in the written word, in an article by Adrian Broddy (2002). These specific principles include:
To frame/fabricate architecture that emanates from its place
To create an immersive environment
To challenge the conventional notions of the design of "the house"
To address the very special nature of a "beach house"
To question some conventional wisdoms of construction
So have these ideals been implemented? Can they be seen through both drawings and the built form? Or maybe just one or the other? So many questions and yet very few answers. In my personal opinion, after doing the research and also the drawings of this particular house, I believe she has succeeded in making her brief a reality. As the house not only prescribes to these principles but also breathes a life into it that, in my relatively few years, I haven’t seen before. Although this is just my opinion, so I’ll let you decide for yourselves.
Dunbar House Drawings
