As I write this, I’m disappointed that the majority of Australians decided an Indigenous voice to parliament was not a good idea. There is a rich and wise culture that could have been very beneficial to our collective futures. However, I am proud that our electorate was a Yes vote overall.
This article is the second in a two-part series leading up to the inaugural Illawarra Festival of Architecture that I’m co-curating on Saturday, November 25. Put it in your diary! There’s going to be Archi-bike tours, open house tours, kids games and great discussions about local architecture. This article will focus on the architecture stream and offer a taste test of the recent renaissance the area is undergoing and pointing to the future.
I’ve been doing a bit of research on this one. A lot of research! You see I am curating the Archi-bike tour that will travel from Stanwell Park down to Austinmer on the morning of the Festival.
Being an architect, I’m always looking out for interesting and unique buildings whenever I’m cruising on my bike. Often I’ll take note of a building address if I think it was architecturally designed or just somewhat quirky, I’ll jump onto Google and look up its old real estate adverts or zoom into its location on the satellite or street view of maps. In doing so, and in league with a few of my fellow league of local architects, I’ve come up with a wee map of what we call “architectural gems”.
Did you know there was a house in Coalcliff able to rotate at the whim of its inhabitants? “Ocean views too blustery? Let’s move the living room to the West.” “Sunlight moved away from the kitchen in Winter? Let’s nudge it over a few degrees so we can enjoy our morning coffee bathed in sunshine!”
Did you also know that there’s a house in Wombarra that won NSW’s top residential architecture gong – the Wilkinson Award? Yep, hidden up in the foothills of the escarpment, there’s a house that won that award back in 1992. There’s also a house without a straight line in its floor plan – yes, all interconnected circles. Once owned by fashion designer Peter Morrissey and his then partner hairdresser extraordinaire Joh Bailey. Rumour has it the house sent them round the bend.
Dad jokes aside, there are some remarkable homes in the Illawarra and the archi-bike and open house tour will uncover some of these. What struck me in researching all of this was the rich history of architecture in our local hood as well as its ongoing evolution.
The panel discussion on the architecture stream will include some of the leading lights of the local architecture and building scene to talk all things past, present and future. How has the beauty of the escarpment influenced local design? With the beauty comes the beast – how have architects responded to the constraints of sunlight, unstable slopes, flooding and dense bushland that the escarpment imposes on building design?
In an increasingly climate change affected world, what buildings are leading the way in sustainability and resilience? How does a community come together to create better architecture accessible by all?
I can’t answer all of these questions, but I can assure you that a good start will be to attend the architecture festival. See you there!
Illawarra Festival of Architecture and Design is on Sat 25 Nov, visit www.ifad.net.au