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Assignment 1

Surface - Glass House & Passage House


Critical Historical Practices ARCH7035
Thursday 3rd September 2015
Michael John Fogarty
a1627123@student.adelaide.edu.au

Table of Contents

Part 1
Surface

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Glass House - Keyword diagram

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Passage House - Keyword diagram

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Glass House - Keywords

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Passage House - Keywords

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Part 2
Glass House - Touch the earth lightly & shelter-in-nature

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Passage House - Balancing on a slope & framing of nature

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Glass House - Modular design & flexible space

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Passage House -Unrestrained functions & free floor plan

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Glass House - Sydney school & minimalist in conception

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Passage House - Modernist feel & framing of nature

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Part 3

Front Cover
Figure 1: The Glass House at night

Compare & contrast

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Endnotes

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Image credits

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Surface
Both the Glass house and Passage house are unique examples of modern architecture and
speak directly about the attitudes and opinions of the architects involved at that time. The Glass
house was designed and built during the 1950s, with a fresh new outlook towards architecture.
Particular emphasis was placed on sympathetic materials, economy, simplicity and an
appreciation of the beauty and harmony of nature.1
Over half a century later, the Passage house is an excellent example of these themes combined
with modern technology and materials.
The two building sites were chosen for their inherent beauty and natural complexities. Both
sites presented the architects with the challenge of building on a steep slope site whilst
minimizing the effect on the surrounding environment.
The Glass house was designed around factory construction that allowed all materials to be used
with little modification. The off-saw timber structure provides an un-finished surface that exists
unpretentiously amongst the surrounding landscape.
In contrast, the Passage house has a highly finished material palette although the surfaces do
not juxtapose the surrounding environment, rather settling amongst it.

Glass House 1957


Bill and Ruth Lucas
Castlecrag, Sydney

The Glass house design and structure is relatively simple giving great importance to the
programming of specific areas within the structural grid. The external glazing to the entire
perimeter of the structure highlights the importance of a connection between internal and
external spaces.
The Passage house displays an evolved modernist approach to programming and grid structure,
both of which have been completely dissolved.

Passage House 2007


TNATakei Nabeshima Architects
Miyota, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

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02

0301

Figure 2: Keywords and phrases from texts that describe the architecture of The Glass House.

Figure 3: Keywords and phrases from texts that describe the


architecture of The Passage House.

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Glass House

Industrial character
The overall theme has been described
as having an industrial character
due to its deliberate lack of finishes
and exposure of individual structural
elements. The absence of wall and floor
lining expose the framing creates an
unfinished surface of which the building
unashamedly shows off its structure.

Appreciation of the beauty and


harmony of nature
The division of Castlecrag was
undertaken by Walter Burley Griffin in
the 1920s and included the restrictive
covenant no building on the said land
shall be constructed in material other
than stone, concrete or brickwork.2
Griffin could not have anticipated at the
time, the impending Modern movement
and its radical way of thinking about
Architecture, which lead to the dematerialisation of structures and the
dissolution of surfaces.
The dissolution of surface creates
a building that settles within the
streetscape and becomes a part of the
surrounding environment.

Figure 4: Photograph of the outside of the Glass House


looking south-east

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materials that can be utilized to satisfy needs with as little effort as


possible, self-finished, maintenance free, that improve with wear,
that merge with natural surroundings and that provide an appropriate
background for living. I prefer the construction to provide the finish 3

Passage House

Expands and lightens the space


The Passage house has a continuous
external wall surface painted a
charcoal colour, which seamlessly
blurs the structure and surface with
the neighbouring trees. Inside, both the
floor covering and wall lining are a pale
wood colour that extend up to a lowpitched white ceiling.

Framing of nature
The continuous horizontal glass surface
wraps the entire perimeter of the
building, dissolving the surface to bring
the outside in.

it is the views of the surrounding forest that dominate the interior 4

01

Figure 5: Photograph of the outside of the Passage


house looking south-west

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Glass House
Touch the earth lightly & shelter-in-nature
Almost 30 years after the Glass House had been built, Glenn
Murcutt would popularise the motto touch the earth lightly,
but in fact the Lucas had been designing their works to
fit within the Australian landscape long before. The Glass
House has been designed to minimize disruption of the
surrounding environment. With only four steel columns fixed
into the sandstone bed below and extended up above the roof,
all framing is supported and cantilevered from the central
structural grid.

Figure 6: Diagram showing section through the site and structure. A, The
existing site with natural vegetation, eucalyptus trees, tree ferns, sandstone
outcrops and the gully stream bed adjacent. B, The structural steel columns
fixed to the sandstone outcrop and primary structure. C, Programming of
spaces within grid. D, Secondary framing including steel diagonal bracing,
connection to surrounding natural landscape through glazing.

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audaciously simple in its concept,


it stands on tiptoes amongst the
boulders and the ferns on four
slender steel posts, the house
appears to barley touch the ground,
suspended amongst the trees
5

Figure 7: Photograph of the Glass house structure from below. The central
void and exposed structural framing can be seen.

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Passage House
Balancing on a slope & framing of nature
The Passage house continues the theme of touch the earth
lightly. Due to modern building materials and construction
techniques, TNA Architects have been able to design a
structure that can cantilever without the need of structural
columns. The unique donut-shaped structure miraculously
floats above the surrounding forest providing an uninterrupted
view up the hill. Once inside the weekend retreat, the
Architects describe the experience as sometimes we can see
the hillside, and sometimes we simply enjoy the feeling of
balancing on a slope.6

Figure 8: Diagram showing section through the site and structure. A, The
existing site with trees and natural vegetation. B, The floor plate design and
cantilevered structure. C, Programming of internal spaces including access
from below. D, Horizontal window to the perimeter and central void unifies
the structure with the surrounding trees.

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Figure 9: Passage house from below

Figure 10: Internal central void

Figure 11: The Passage house at night

Figure 12: The UFO shaped floor plan

contact between the house and


land is minimal in order to not
obstruct the uphill view
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Glass House
Modular design & flexible spaces
The Glass house shares many common themes with early modern works such as grid-like
defined spatial programming and the creating of integrated compositions. The floor plan grid is
made up of 12 squares, living and kitchen areas face north, whilst the bedrooms are located on
the southern side, with the 2 internal spaces allocated to a timber frame deck and void to the
sandstone and ferns below. Timber frame deck and roof covering extend past the grid providing
egress and shelter. The structural floor, wall and roof framing members are at 1200mm
centres within a 3600mm grid, this allows materials to be used with little modification on site.
The internal walls are demountable and can be moved to create new rooms within the grid.

C
Figure 13: Diagram of floor plan. A, The existing site plan showing contours,
vegetation and sandstone outcrop. B, The structural grid at 3600mm centres.
C, Internal programming.

01
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Passage House
Unrestrained internal functions & free continuous floor plan

Access to the house is through a trap-door within the floor space. There are only 4 glass
partitions internally that enclose the entry area and bathroom. The Architect has clearly
demonstrated through the juxtaposition of kitchen, bathroom and bedroom that privacy is not
a concern. With no internal walls to living areas and a continuous floor covering, the passage
house has undefined zones that are further down-played by the minimalist furniture also
designed by TNA Architects.

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The Passage House is an example of the result of removing the grid from architectural
practices. The overall form and function are defined and a structural grid is adapted to
the design. For the Passage house, a series of timber-clad steel columns are slightly
offset from the external wall which allow a continuous horizontal band of windows. The
focus of the house is not privacy, but a design that makes the experience of the house.

C
Figure 14: Diagram of floor plan. A, The existing site plan with contours and
natural vegetation. B, The programming of internal functions take precedent
over establishing the structural grid. C, The structural columns are offset from
the external wall to allow a continuous horizontal window and the structure is
anchored into the hill.

Glass House
Sydney school & minimalist in conception
The Glass house was designed and built during the 1950s when the International Style had
been imported to Australia and was breaking the chains of the early twentieth century colonial
architecture, through the likes of Roy Grounds, Robin Boyd and Harry Seidler.
The Lucas had been deeply influenced by Le Corbusier Villa Savoye and sequential
architectural principles; replacement of external load bearing walls with pilotis gave way to an
unrestrained floor plan, free design of the faade and horizontal window.

Minimalist in its concept, the design is a unique engineering solution that is sympathetic
to the surrounding environment, not only in structure, but size, scale and materiality. 8
These modern architects working in the 1950s in Sydney were deliberately trying to
avoid any stylistic references however their work has now been categorised as The
Sydney School. 9

C
Figure 15: Diagram of floor plan. A, Particular emphasis is placed upon access and egress. B, External walls are clad with glass window and louvres. C,
A central deck and void area connects the inside with the outside

01
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Passage House
Modernist feel & framing of nature

Equally influenced by Le Corbusiers principles, the Passage house separates the structure
from the external wall and forms an unrestrained floor plan. In particular, the Passage house
has a horizontal band of windows that provide uninterrupted views for the perimeter of the
residence.

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The lack of outdoor areas is offset through the use of glass and the creation of the
central void which does no close the space but rather integrate it with nature. The clean
crisp lines of the residence have a modernist feel due to the simplicity of the structure
and minimalists compositions.

C
Figure 16: Diagram of floor plan. A, The removal of structural internal walls allows a free flowing floor plan. Access is through the door located within the floor.
B, Living areas are oriented to the south to take advantage of passive heating and
lighting. C, The use of glass and central void to combine the structure with nature.

Compare & contrast


The Glass house is an unpretentious Australian interpretation of the International Style. The
Architects of this time, specifically in the North Sydney area were experimenting with floor plan
design, new materials and industrial type building practices for their own individual residences.
Today, we see confidently these experiments adapted into all forms of architecture from
residential to apartment flats and commercial buildings.
The Sydney School was particularly important as it created awareness and highlighted the
importance of designing structures that suit our climate and landscape. This lead to another
sub-genre of regional architecture that spread through-out Australia.
In comparison, The Passage house has a 50 year advantage over the Glass house. It has new
technological building advancements to be able to provide such an amazing cantilevered
structure. Although at heart, the Lucas and TNA Architects were both striving to achieve the
harmonious balance of structure within its natural environment.
In conclusion, both the Glass house and Passage house are seminal examples of modern
architecture as they each highlight a specific time in history. Each design has their own
experimentations, refinements and ultimately achievements that will continue to provide lessons
and inspiration for future contemporary structures.

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Endnotes

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Jennifer Taylor, The Sydney School In An Australian Identity: Houses for Sydney
1953-63. 2nd ed. Sydney, N.S.W.: Dept. of Architecture, University of Sydney, 1984, 31.

Noni Boyd, Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fische report DOCOMOMO,
accessed August 27, 2015, http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_
GLASSH.pdf, 9.

Noni Boyd, Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fische report DOCOMOMO,
accessed August 27, 2015, http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_
GLASSH.pdf, 4.

Passage House: architects, Makoto Takei + Chie Nabeshima - TNA. JA no. 76 (Winter
2010), 25.

Noni Boyd, Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fische report DOCOMOMO,
accessed August 27, 2015, http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_
GLASSH.pdf, 12.

Passage House: architects, Makoto Takei + Chie Nabeshima - TNA. JA no. 76 (Winter
2010), 25.

Passage House: architects, Makoto Takei + Chie Nabeshima - TNA. JA no. 76 (Winter
2010), 22.

Noni Boyd, Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fische report DOCOMOMO,
accessed August 27, 2015, http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_
GLASSH.pdf, 11.

Noni Boyd, Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fische report DOCOMOMO,
accessed August 27, 2015, http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_
GLASSH.pdf, 9.

Image credits
Figure 1: Lucas family archives, courtesy Ruark Lewis. Cover
Figure 2: Michael Fogarty, Glass house key themes diagram. Page 03
Figure 3: Michael Fogarty, Passage house key themes diagram. Page 05
Figure 4: Lucas family archives, courtesy Ruark Lewis. Page 07
Figure 5: 2010. Passage House, Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Architectural Review 228,
no. 1362, 72. Page 09
Figure 6: Michael Fogarty, Glass house section. Page 11
Figure 7: Lucas family archives, courtesy Ruark Lewis. Page 13
Figure 8: Michael Fogarty, Passage house section. Page 15
Figure 9: Passage House: architects, Makoto Takei + Chie Nabeshima - TNA. JA no. 76 (Winter
2010), 25. Page 17
Figure 10: 2010. Passage House, Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Architectural Review 228,
no. 1362, 72. Page 17
Figure 11: 2010. Passage House, Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Architectural Review 228,
no. 1362, 72. Page 17
Figure 12: 2010. Passage House, Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Architectural Review 228,
no. 1362, 72. Page 17.
Figure 13: Michael Fogarty, Glass house floor plan. Page 19
Figure 14: Michael Fogarty, Passage house floor plan. Page 21
Figure 15: Michael Fogarty, Glass house floor plan. Page 23
Figure 16: Michael Fogarty, Passage house floor plan. Page 25

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