The annual Gold Medal tour is a highlight of the Archi-calendar for me each year. It is a rare moment where - instead of the usual presentations about award-winning or current projects - one can learn the core principles and the formative experiences that shaped a great Architect. It is the intensely personal focus of it that makes it such a rare treat in our digital and impersonal age. I hope it will continue to remain a permanent fixture of the Australian Institute of Architects calendar of events and to see even greater numbers in attendance.
I could fill this blog-post entirely with quotes from Peter Stutchbury’s talk alone. In person, Peter is a very poetic and authentic presence. His architectural journey also highlights how much the principles of architecture and culture (in particular, Australian culture) have changed since he began his practice 34 years ago. His practice and academic career have maintained a focus on deep connections to the site or the land, rooted in his early childhood experiences in rural Australia and enhanced by his observations of indigenous cultures around the world. A good chunk of the evening was devoted to his observations of the beauty, the cycles and the creatures of the Australian landscape.
“I borrowed from the landscape in my architecture” – Peter Stutchbury
Peter’s talk was also infused with heartfelt generosity towards the next generation of architects and peppered with valuable lessons learnt. Sharing architecture with others is something Peter obviously takes great joy in and was cited by the Gold Medal award jury too. His teaching career – including the Glen Murcutt master classes and others around the world – is abundant evidence of this generosity.
“There is an Aboriginal saying ‘In order to keep it, you’ve got to give it away’. I believe in this. “
In a loosely chronological manner, his presentation of his built work focused on “lessons from each building”, a sign to us all that even architects at the peak of their careers never stop learning. He is often credited with being one of the earliest architects to turn naturally ventilated, sustainable buildings, into something beautiful to behold. He described many of his built works as simply “rooms that open and shut in the landscape”. His work is also backed up by sound structural knowledge gleaned from early self-built projects. I wondered if this was further evidence that perhaps that the ‘gap year’ (which many students no longer take) should make a comeback in architecture education?
His manifesto, distilled from three decades of practice, was mentioned in an offhand manner as though they were self-evident to all the listeners:
“There are really only four elements to architecture: light + space, connections, structure and (the hardest to harness)…mood.”
Whilst Peter is probably best known for his work with the Australian landscape, it is exciting to note that his approach is robust enough to translate into successful commissions in Japan and Russia. He is one, amongst a handful of others, who are effectively the ambassadors for Australian architecture abroad.
Peter spoke with great reverence for a recent meeting with architect B.V.Doshi in India, who worked with greats such as Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn.
“Can you imagine? Being one degree (of separation) from the greatest architects of that generation? What wonderful thing to experience!”
I suspect many of us in the audience that night felt that we would speak of this Gold Medal tour in the same way in years to come…
Written by: Sonia Sarangi of Atelier Red + Black (Victorian Event Correspondent for AWS)
Sonia Sarangi is co-director of Atelier Red+Black, an emerging architecture practice in Melbourne. She has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Melbourne and has previously worked for a small practice (Melbourne) and large international practice (Singapore). She is a proud supporter of Parlour and firmly believes that good design enriches life. She can be found on Instagram: @thesarangi
