Discussion: Glenn Murcutt interview at Utzon Lecture Series

I went last night, as I am sure many others of you did, to the fantastic interview between Alan Saunders and Glenn Murcutt. What an enchanting talk Murcutt gave, covering a huge range of architectural issues and concerns, as well as his own influences and personal history. Murcutt spoke with such passion and conviction that he proved an inspiration to everyone in attendance, especially the students who were present, myself included. It is of utmost importance to reflect on what Murcutt said, and to understand the implications it has and will have for all of us as Architecture and design students!

So be sure to take in what Glenn said, and more importantly (and i will paraphrase here), take in the concept, the principles behind what he said. I think it was very interesting on what he regarded as an Australian style, or rather that he thought there is no ‘Australian’ style. I think Glenn is really hitting the point well. We should not be designing and creating with a conscious effort to do something of a style. I think Glenn and his description of his work is more a search for truth than to create an Australian architecture, even though many would say his work is distinctly ‘Australian’. He constantly reinforced that his work seeks for order, structure, harmony with nature, interaction with site, with flora, fauna, local conditions, urban context etc etc. If we are to think about the Principle behind this thinking, theoretically this approach would create a design appropriate for any context around the world. A consideration of issues far beyond just the visual, beyond the form, and to the very essence of architecture as a physical experience of the intangibles of the world around us is what Architecture is about (and feels free to disagree with me here).

Glenn said that we should strive for unison between the rational and the poetic in architecture. This statement, coupled with images of Glenn’s work, was extremely on point in what I have personally been struggling with to understand architecture. It was a real pleasure to see him talk and to be inspired and have clarification regarding the nature of his work and his influences.

I call on all of us as design students to take on Glenn’s challenge. To reject the visual and understand that behind our eyes there is a brain, and that is what the true test of architecture is. To appeal to our minds, to make us think critically, and to also teach our minds something about the physical and spiritual nature of a building and its surrounds. If we are in a crisis in architecture today, as many people have said, with ‘starchitects’ attempting to outdo eachother with quasi environmentalism and form building, it is up to us, the next generation, to try and reverse this trend and create a built environment that will stimulate us intellectually, much like Glenn did last night.