Belonging - Glenn Murcutt

Summary

The transcript discusses the integration of Aboriginal wisdom into architecture, emphasizing 'touching the land lightly' and respecting the natural landscape. It explores the importance of movement, prospect and refuge in design, and the influence of Australia's flora and fauna on architectural aesthetics. The speaker advocates for buildings that complement life, not dominate it, and highlights the significance of simplicity with complexity in design, using the Boyd Education Center as an example of harmonious integration with nature.

Takeaways

• 🌳 The script emphasizes the importance of respecting and integrating with the natural landscape, as inspired by Aboriginal people's philosophy of 'touching the land lightly'.
• 🏡 The design of buildings should consider the natural movement patterns of the landscape, such as the paths used by Aboriginal people, to create harmony with the environment.
• 📏 Understanding the vertical and horizontal sections of a building is crucial for manipulating spaces to control light, wind, and views, akin to understanding the layers of an onion.
• 👀 The concepts of 'prospect' and 'refuge' in architecture allow for the balance of visibility and privacy, mirroring the way Aboriginal people used caves for both.
• 🔥 The Aboriginal 'fire stick' technique is highlighted as a form of sustainable farming that contributes to the resilience and renewal of the Australian landscape.
• 💧 In fire-prone areas, the script suggests using water features and inundation systems for fire protection, ensuring the safety of the structures.
• 🌿 The unique flora of Australia, with its thin leaves and dappled shade, influences the design of buildings, aiming for a clarity and legibility in structure that reflects the natural environment.
• 🎨 The Arthur Boyd Education Center was designed to complement the work of the artist, integrating with the landscape and providing a backdrop for life rather than demanding attention.
• 🖼 The building design should frame views like a painting, offering a seamless transition between the interior and the native landscape.
• 🎼 The architect is likened to a composer, with the building as the instrument that allows nature and occupants to interact, creating a harmonious living experience.
• 🍲 The script concludes with the idea that simplicity in architecture contains complexity, and that an architecture of necessity focuses on essential elements that serve multiple functions.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Aboriginal expression 'touch the land lightly' as mentioned by the architect?

The expression 'touch the land lightly' reflects a philosophy of respecting and minimally impacting the natural environment, which the architect applies to their building designs, emphasizing harmony with the landscape and its existing features.

How did the architect discover the Aboriginal passage on the site?

The architect discovered the Aboriginal passage between the rocks that led down into the valley while working on the site, revealing the importance of understanding the movement patterns through the landscape in their design process.

What is the importance of a building's section in architectural design according to the transcript?

The section of a building, both vertical and horizontal, is crucial as it allows the architect to understand and manipulate spaces to control sunlight, wind, and views, which are essential for the building's functionality and aesthetic.

What is the concept of 'prospect and refuge' in architecture as described in the transcript?

'Prospect and refuge' refers to the architectural concept of providing spaces where occupants can both look out into the landscape (prospect) and find sheltered areas where they can feel secure (refuge), enhancing the building's connection with its surroundings.

How did the architect integrate the Aboriginal approach to entering spaces into their design?

The architect incorporated the Aboriginal method of entering spaces by sliding in on the edge rather than fronting, allowing for a more integrated and less formal approach to entering and experiencing the building.

What role did fire play in the landscape according to the architect's experience?

Fire, through the Aboriginal practice of fire stick technology, played a significant role in renewing the landscape and promoting the growth of powerful eucalyptus trees that could withstand and require fire for seed dispersal.

How does the architect address the issue of fire in their designs in severe fire zones?

The architect addresses fire issues by using non-flammable materials externally, ensuring a large water supply, and installing inundation systems to protect the house from potential fires.

What characteristics of the local flora influenced the architect's design approach?

The local flora, with its thin leaves allowing more sunlight through, creating dappled shade, and revealing the structure of trees, influenced the architect's design approach, emphasizing clarity of structure and legibility in their buildings.

What was the design approach for the Arthur Boyd Education Center in relation to Boyd's artwork?

The design approach for the Arthur Boyd Education Center aimed to be considerate of the quality of Boyd's work, ensuring that the building complemented the artist's vision and provided a suitable environment for his paintings.

How does the architect view the role of a building in relation to human life and nature?

The architect views a building as a background to human life, allowing for comfort and relaxation, and as an environment where nature can be part of daily experience, enriching the occupants' lives and connecting them with the natural world.

What is the difference between simplicity and simplistic according to the architect?

Simplicity, according to the architect, contains complexity and is the resolution of many elements working together, while simplistic lacks complexity and does not offer the same depth or multifunctionality.

Outlines

00:00

🏞️ Aboriginal Wisdom in Architecture

The speaker recounts an enlightening conversation with an architect from Western Australia about the Aboriginal expression of 'touching the land lightly,' which inspired a design approach that respects the natural landscape. The design process involved understanding the movement patterns of the Aboriginal people, the importance of the vertical and horizontal sections of a building for natural light and wind, and the concept of 'prospect and refuge' in architecture. The speaker also reflects on the Aboriginal people's relationship with the landscape, including their use of fire for farming and the resulting strong eucalyptus trees that are integral to the Australian ecosystem.

05:04

🔥 Fire, Flora, and Architectural Inspiration

This paragraph delves into the Aboriginal 'fire stick' technology and its impact on the Australian landscape, particularly the eucalyptus trees that thrive in post-fire environments. The speaker discusses the architectural implications of living in a fire-prone area, including the use of non-flammable materials and inundation systems for protection. The influence of the unique Australian flora, with its thin leaves allowing dappled sunlight, is highlighted, as well as the structural beauty and legibility found in the natural environment, which has inspired the speaker's architectural designs.

10:25

🎨 Integrating Art and Nature in Design

The speaker describes the design process for the Arthur Boyd Education Center, emphasizing the importance of creating a building that complements the work of the renowned Australian painter. The design aimed to retain the essence of Boyd's original vision while integrating sustainable features like water collection and waste management. The building's layout allows for views of the landscape, with the roof designed to frame the sky and provide a sense of immersion in nature. The speaker also discusses the importance of architecture that does not demand attention but rather serves as a backdrop to life, allowing for relaxation and a connection to the surrounding environment.

15:29

🎼 The Harmony of Architecture and Nature

In this paragraph, the speaker compares the role of an architect to that of a composer, with the building as the instrument through which nature and its occupants interact. The design of the house aims to create a space where nature can flourish, as evidenced by the presence of various species of frogs. The speaker values the integration of nature into daily life and the sensory experiences it provides. The concept of simplicity in architecture is also discussed, with the speaker advocating for designs that are both simple in form and rich in complexity, serving multiple functions and reflecting an 'architecture of necessity.'

20:36

🌿 The Essence of Architectural Design

The final paragraph focuses on the essential aspects of architecture, which include structure, materials, space, and life. The speaker emphasizes the importance of integrating the poetic and the rational in design, creating spaces that are not only functional but also resonate with the human spirit. The goal is to create buildings that allow people to appreciate and connect with nature, recognizing its importance for health, intelligence, and the well-being of future generations.

Keywords

💡Aboriginal people

The term 'Aboriginal people' refers to the indigenous inhabitants of Australia, who have a deep cultural and spiritual connection to the land. In the video, the speaker mentions an expression by Aboriginal people about 'touching the land lightly,' which reflects their philosophy of living in harmony with nature. This concept is integrated into the architectural design discussed in the video, emphasizing the importance of respecting and working with the natural environment.

💡Eucalyptus forests

Eucalyptus forests are a type of vegetation characterized by the dominance of eucalyptus trees, which are native to Australia. The speaker describes these forests as 'remarkable' and part of the beautiful landscape that influenced the architectural design. Eucalyptus trees are also highlighted for their ability to withstand and even require fire for seed dispersal, illustrating the resilience and adaptability of the native flora.

💡Section of a building

The 'section of a building' refers to the vertical or horizontal slices through the structure, which can reveal the internal organization and spatial relationships within the architecture. The speaker uses the analogy of cutting an onion both horizontally and vertically to explain the importance of understanding the building's section in designing for natural light, wind, and views. This concept is central to the theme of creating spaces that are inclusive of their environment.

💡Prospect and refuge

Prospect and refuge are architectural concepts related to the ability to look out over a landscape (prospect) and the provision of a safe, sheltered space (refuge). The speaker discusses the importance of these elements in creating a sense of security and connection to the environment. The script mentions that Aboriginal people's use of caves provided both prospect and refuge, which influenced the design of the house to allow for similar experiences.

💡Fire stick technology

Fire stick technology is a traditional practice of using fire as a tool for land management, which has been used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years. The speaker explains that this practice not only renews the landscape but also serves as a form of farming, particularly for eucalyptus trees that require fire for seed dispersal. This concept is tied to the theme of renewal and the integration of natural processes into the landscape design.

💡Dappled shade

Dappled shade refers to the mottled pattern of light and shadow created when sunlight filters through tree leaves. The speaker describes the effect of dappled shade in the Australian landscape, noting that the thin leaves of the native flora allow more sunlight to penetrate, creating a 'very beautiful luminous shade.' This contributes to the aesthetic and sensory experience of the environment, which is an important aspect of the architectural design.

💡Legibility

Legibility, in the context of architecture, refers to the clarity and readability of the structure and its components. The speaker values the legibility of the native flora's structure, which is both powerful and delicate, and seeks to incorporate this clarity into the architectural design. This concept is related to the theme of creating spaces that are both functional and aesthetically coherent.

💡Arthur Boyd Education Center

The Arthur Boyd Education Center is a specific architectural project mentioned in the script, designed to honor the Australian painter Arthur Boyd. The center is designed to be considerate of Boyd's work and to integrate with the surrounding landscape. It is an example of how the speaker's设计理念 is applied to create a building that is both a background and a frame for the experience of art and nature.

💡Simplicity

Simplicity, as discussed in the video, is not the absence of complexity but rather the essence of it. The speaker contrasts simplicity with being simplistic, emphasizing that true simplicity contains layers of complexity, much like a well-prepared stock in cooking. In architecture, this translates to designs that are both minimal and rich in detail, serving multiple functions and reflecting the speaker's commitment to an 'architecture of necessity.'

💡Architecture of necessity

The term 'architecture of necessity' refers to a design approach that focuses on the essential elements required for a building to function well and to serve its purpose. The speaker discusses this concept in relation to the integration of structure, materials, space, and life, emphasizing the importance of creating designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also responsive to human needs and the natural environment.

Highlights

The concept of 'touching the land lightly' inspired by Aboriginal people's philosophy.

Importance of understanding the natural landscape, including rocks, eucalyptus forests, and Aboriginal pathways.

The significance of movement patterns in landscape design, influenced by Aboriginal pathways.

The analogy of an onion to explain the importance of vertical and horizontal sections in architecture.

The role of sunlight, wind, and light in manipulating architectural spaces.

The concepts of 'prospect' and 'refuge' in architectural design, drawing from Aboriginal practices.

The Aboriginal approach to entering spaces, favoring edges over direct center entries.

The impact of Aboriginal 'fire stick' technology on landscape renewal and eucalyptus strength.

The design of buildings in fire zones, incorporating water supply and inundation systems for protection.

The unique characteristics of Australian flora, such as thin leaves allowing dappled sunlight.

The influence of flora on architectural design, emphasizing clarity and legibility of structure.

The design of the Arthur Boyd Education Center, integrating with the native landscape.

The importance of designing buildings that complement the work of artists, like Arthur Boyd.

Sustainability in architecture, including water collection and waste management.

The desire for buildings to recede into the background, allowing life to take center stage.

The concept of framing views in architecture, akin to framing a painting.

The role of architecture as a 'composer', with nature and occupants as the 'orchestra' and 'audience'.

The distinction between simplicity and being simplistic in architectural design.

The integration of complexity within simplicity, achieving multifunctional design elements.

The essential role of nature in architecture for human health, intelligence, and spirit.

The poetic and rational junction in architecture, emphasizing the importance of essential issues.

Transcripts

it came to me from an architect in  Western Australia who said to me did  

you know the expression by the Aboriginal  people you must touch the land lightly

now I hadn't heard of this he said  well I just want to mention that  

to you because I think that the buildings  you're doing working with that as an idea

in this particular site beautiful rocks coming  down the hillside remarkable eucalyptus forests  

whole range of trees that are so beautiful  large trees but we did soon discovered that  

between these rocks was a passage where  the Aboriginal people used to come and  

be able to get down into the valley to  negotiate the escarpment and be able  

to move through this the site and letting  down into the valley and so the house then  

we started to realize the importance of a  pattern of movement through the landscape

the critical thing in designing is to understand  the section of a building for example if you take  

an onion the vegetable onion and you cut it  horizontally all of a sudden you saved a lot  

of rings but you don't quite know what's  happening with those rings and you look at  

it vertically when you cut it vertically you  can see what's happening so to take an onion  

and cut it vertically and horizontally you  understand what the vegetables about when  

you take architecture and you cut it vertically  and horizontally you understand what it's about  

now that vertical section and horizontal section  allows you to start manipulating their spaces in  

a way that is inclusive of bringing sunlight in of  bringing windy or bring light in or excluding it

so the important thing is to start thinking about  prospect and refuge in architecture that ability  

to look out for prospect not quite sure how  far you can see out or what it lies beyond with  

prospect is part of the unknown associated with  the unknown is the importance of Refuge to take  

refuge to be able to sit and have your back into  a corner to be able to look out into the landscape

and then all of a sudden I realized that  the Aboriginal people in the caves I had  

experienced up in northern Australia also had  prospect and refuge and the Aboriginal people  

never came up from the bottom they always  came around the edge and moved in into the  

space this way so you never entered fronting  as we often do in the formal way of European  

when you think of many buildings like town  halls and civic buildings they're all entered  

on the center line of the buildings the  Aboriginal people always came slid in on  

the edge and so you can enter the house and  take refuge or continue on into the landscape

one of the things that is devastating to to most  of us in this country is the power of the fire of  

course a flaw has developed through the occupation  of Aboriginal people here for 5060 thousand years  

the fire stick technology where they burnt all  the time - actually was also not only renewing  

but it was a form of farming and it made very  powerful the eucalypt that was able to not only  

withstand fire but required a fire to actually pop  the seeds out and under bare ground that was burnt  

and those seeds would crack open and often rain  would follow within the next week or two and so  

you got bring you all over the floor so renewal  is also a very important part of our landscape

and when I'm in a very severe fire zone I have  very little flammable material external I will  

always have a huge water supply and in the house  we've installed what I call an inundation system  

Wheatland had the sprinklers going the house is  towhead in water the fire can come around and the  

house 90% certainly would be saved the other thing  about our flora is that because of the stresses in  

the landscape in other words the rainfall combined  with the heat with the floor has developed  

in a way that you get very thin leaves now the  consequence of that of course is that there is  

more Sun that comes through so you get a dappled  shade it's a very very beautiful luminous shade

and the who are coming through on to the trunk  what that does is gives eligibility the other  

thing is that with many of our trees the leaves  themselves are high as a canopy you don't get  

leaves close to the ground so it reveals the  structure so that structure represents to me a  

great legibility so in my architecture there's  a clarity of structure is order within their  

structure there's a legibility in the structure  and so the flora has been very important to me

and they great strength from coming out of the  ground and to the delicacy pages trees are both  

powerful in their visual structure and delicate  in their flora in the leaf pattern and the flowers  

extremely delicate and so it influenced  me very powerfully in the architecture

at the Opera anyone Boyd Education Center that my  wife Wendy learn and younger architect original  

lock we designed we worked on that together and  when I arrived on the site Boyd had already built  

two new buildings and the combination of the  three buildings produced a little complex when  

we designed the new complex we wanted to retain  the general feeling of Boyd's arrival as he  

always had experienced the three houses and that  the new building would reveal itself eventually

the important thing was that the Arthur Boyd  was one of the great painters of Australia  

and from the outset in the design  process we recognized the importance  

of designing a building that needed to be  considerate with the quality of Boyd work

the Boyd Center is required to have compassion  for 32 people it has to collect its own water  

it has to manage its own waste the building  stretches out along the landscape and what  

we wanted to achieve that roof lifting up  and a 45-degree angle cutting out into it  

on the miter which allowed beautiful views to  the east you lift it up to reveal the sky let  

the ground drop down in front of you so again  designing reveal elements in the landscape

I also believe that a building  shouldn't think such that it's  

demanding your attention the building should  be the background to your life it should  

allow your life to be comfortable  in a sense of being able to relax  

and remove from the stresses and so I love  architecture that's strong but also quiet

and if you look at Boyd paintings Boyd was very  much into two places he was at one place which  

is the native landscape that he loved and he  loved the rural landscape and so he lived in  

Australia for five months a year and he lived  in England in the countryside for five months  

a year so the void Center is designed  so that when you walk along the excess  

Way is thrust one spark into the native  landscape then you come to another framed  

area is the cultivated landscape so he bought a  property in Australia they've had both as well

and the bear would have accommodation that  where you you are framing the view so at  

every bed level there is a window so the kids can  look just sit there and look after the view and  

you'll see there's a frame around it so your  framing the views like you frame a painting

the houses and the buildings I'm working on  many people look at them as is if they just  

object in the landscape think for a moment about  a composer in music the composer visualizes in  

hearing what the composition is going to be  a conductor will put an orchestra together to  

perform that work and there will be a further  interpretation on it by the conductor with the  

orchestra and there's the audience to listen  to this beautiful work now what I'm trying to  

achieve is not a dissimilar thing the architect  I believe can be the composer the instrument is  

the building that allows nature to enter the  environment and the occupants of the audience

I love that as a notion taking a little too  far at the moment in this house where the  

frogs are so loud that you can't sleep but  it's fantastic to think that I have created  

a place here for nature to start develop in  the most phenomenal way there are three to  

four different types of frogs now in here that  are extraordinary and the sounds are amazing  

sounds or you hear the black cockatoo or you  get the Whitman or you see the features I think  

this is incredibly important that we actually  have nature as part of our daily experience

a good grip is

there is a very big difference between  the words simplicity and simplistic

simplicity contains complexity simplicity is  the other face of complexity for example if  

you make a beautiful stock in cooking it comes  from all the flavors of the food boil down to  

a cupful that is the most beautiful simplicity  but it's very complex and so simplicity is the  

other face of complexity simplistic has no  complexity so in understanding simplicity  

one needs to understand how one can bring like a  beautiful stock that complexity into a resolution  

where something is working to act three ways  or four ways for example those blames not only  

give you the collection of the wins but because  they're facing east they also give you bounced  

light they also give the privacy but those  blades also frame the view in other words  

bringing the design right down to the essence  of what's necessary an architecture of necessity

it's about structure it's about materials  it's about how you put them together it's  

about space it's about life it's about  really important issues for the human  

spirit to be able to appreciate nature to  fill the qualities of nature breathe up  

the importance of nature to our health to our  intelligence to the importance of a child these  

are really important issues for a species this  is actually essential stuff and I'm interested  

in what is essential and out of essential I'd  love to think that you structure the junction  

of the poetic and the rational they must come  together not separately and must be together