The Marika-Alderton House

A few years ago I had the privilege of seeing in person the Australian architect Glenn Murcutt give a presentation on his work. One of my favorite works of his was the Marika-Alderton house, which he designed for an Aborigine artist.


architecture.about.com

Many people consider this a prime example of Aborigine-influenced architecture, which I find intriguing since traditional Aborigine architecture looks like something like a Vitruvian primitive hut. But if you look into it a bit closer, then you see that the spirit of the Aborigine culture is carried through much of the house's design.

One of the more obvious examples of Aborigine influence are the stilts on which the house sits.  Much like a traditional Aborigine shelter, this allows breezes to circulate underneath for ventilation. Also, much of the house's walls and roof can be opened to allow breezes and light to flow through, and the roof overhangs prevent much of the hot sunlight from heating the building. Overall, the building is a flexible shelter that can easily altered to work in harmony with the seasons.

But what I thought was most interesting was how windows ran the length of several of the walls, allowing for constant scanning of the horizon. Apparently Aborigines are constantly scanning the horizon for visitors or game animals, and I thought it was pretty smart of Mr. Murcutt to incorporate this into the house design.

In essence, the Marika-Alderton house is an example of incorporating a culture's behavior into design, and not simply incorporating their symbolism.