Simpson-Lee House
A retired couple designed their house on a three-hectare plot in the Blue Mountains (150 km northwest of Sydney). The author of this house is none other than a stalwart of Australian residential architecture - Glenn Murcutt. Even though the house features simplicity and lightness, its realization, including the design, took a full 5 years.
The residence consists of two parts - a living space and a studio. Murcutt took advantage of the sloping terrain and placed the elongated mass of the house along the contour line. Thus, the house faces east. Both parts are connected by a wooden footbridge, a material that is almost absent in the architecture of the house. The material conception of the building is based on the contrast between the surrounding wild nature and sophisticated construction materials - steel, aluminum, concrete, and glass.
Murcutt's architectural style is influenced by the works of Mies van der Rohe, as clearly demonstrated by the Simpson-Lee House in Mount Wilson. The motif of continuous space has been used in many of his designs. The distinctive form of the shed roof perfectly fits into the surrounding sloped environment.
The essence of this wonderful house is a confident dialogue between the interior and the exterior, creating a pleasant place for the users to spend their retirement, and an enchanting play with materials. If we are to label this architecture as Australian, we must come to a compromise regarding the colonial form of settlement on the Australian continent. The roots of Aboriginal architecture are perhaps expressed here through the lightness and airiness of the structure, while the cultural European tradition is reflected in the functional aspects of the house and the chosen materials. This results in a characteristic architectural hybrid of original and transferred traditions expressed in a contemporary form. Definitely an interesting context of contemporary Australian architecture.
The residence consists of two parts - a living space and a studio. Murcutt took advantage of the sloping terrain and placed the elongated mass of the house along the contour line. Thus, the house faces east. Both parts are connected by a wooden footbridge, a material that is almost absent in the architecture of the house. The material conception of the building is based on the contrast between the surrounding wild nature and sophisticated construction materials - steel, aluminum, concrete, and glass.
Murcutt's architectural style is influenced by the works of Mies van der Rohe, as clearly demonstrated by the Simpson-Lee House in Mount Wilson. The motif of continuous space has been used in many of his designs. The distinctive form of the shed roof perfectly fits into the surrounding sloped environment.
The essence of this wonderful house is a confident dialogue between the interior and the exterior, creating a pleasant place for the users to spend their retirement, and an enchanting play with materials. If we are to label this architecture as Australian, we must come to a compromise regarding the colonial form of settlement on the Australian continent. The roots of Aboriginal architecture are perhaps expressed here through the lightness and airiness of the structure, while the cultural European tradition is reflected in the functional aspects of the house and the chosen materials. This results in a characteristic architectural hybrid of original and transferred traditions expressed in a contemporary form. Definitely an interesting context of contemporary Australian architecture.
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