Sydney Ancher And Richard Leplastrier

Since the early twentieth century, Australian architects started to abandon the impacts of British colonialism, followed with a consideration of new Australian national identity. The concepts of nationalism and regionalism emerged from numerous modern architecture, Sydney Ancher and Richard Leplastrier were the representatives, who practiced with pragmatic response to the vernacular climate and geographic conditions of the Australian landscape. However, their works had alike implication of foreign movements, particularly the influence from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Jørn Utzon and traditional Japanese architecture.

Sydney Ancher
Grafting international characteristics from the visit of the 1931 International Building Exhibition in Berlin, adapted
Positioning house to against the southern boundary with large north-east facing openings, allows adequate daylights to enter and maximally protects existing nature aspects in the garden; Leplastrier maintained the strong connection between house and garden, to convey his influence from traditional Japanese architecture and the ‘aboriginal concept of unity with the landscape’. In consequence, he arranged a linear planning for the house due to the limitation of space, applied a traditional Japanese style spinal gallery to separate it in three parts, with the achievement of ‘servant’ and ‘served’ area concept which was found by Louis Kahn. Nevertheless, Rory Spence realised all these approach had an affinity with Utzon’s abortive ‘Espansiva’ proposal. Leplastrier further extended the connotation of the linear spine based on Japanese monastic cloister, combined with a feature of vernacular dwellings to create a verandah type space partly along to the house, providing a space for contemplation as an intense representation of Japanese Culture. Placing the entrance with sliding timber doors at the right angle to the street, Leplastrier produced a small courtyard to become a transition area which linked
On the other hand, Leplastrier visited Spain in early 1971, obtained the inspiration from Alhambra’s Islamic pools in Granada; demonstrated a ‘borrow landscape’ effect in this house via a reflection pool in the garden. The altitude difference of the room and the land with the reflection of the pool carry out the sense of platform through the site. Borrowing Utzon’s U beam roofing system from his Bayview project, Leplastrier formed roofs by two vaults and two parallel semicircular gutter for two rooms, the spine and the service zone. These elements are all interlinked, but also supported individually by steel framework with high specification paint finishing to resist erosion. All materials are treated deliberately with the as-worked character, blend with Utzon’s doctrine of prefabrication and Japanese modular system; which extends the life of the structure and materials. Leplastrier’s restraint of nail fixing on structure diminishes the damage of timber when disassembling the building, this aspect effects the visibility of construction. Additionally, this significant inspiration of the Shinto Shrine buildings at Ise is conveyed by the layering of materials on roof verge, with the hierarchy of redwood ceiling, tampered steel purlins and corrugated copper