Glenn Marcus Murcutt (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize. He works as a sole practitioner without staff, builds only within Australia and is known to be very selective with his projects.
Murcutt’s motto, ‘touch the earth lightly’, leads him to design his works to fit into the Australian landscape features. His works are highly economical and multi-functional. Murcutt also pays attention to aspects of the environment such as wind direction, water movement, temperature and light surrounding his sites before he designs the building itself. Materials such as glass, stone, timber, concrete, steel and corrugated iron are often included in his works.
In the words of the Pritzker jury: “In an age obsessed with celebrity, the glitz of our ‘starchitects’, backed by large staffs and copious public relations support, dominates the headlines. As a total contrast, Murcutt works in a one-person office on the other side of the world … yet has a waiting list of clients, so intent is he to give each project his personal best.”
The Magney House
source: https://www.ozetecture.org/magney-house-bingie-point
All sustainability principles are applied in this house. Its structure is practical and works integrally with the house. The design of the tubular steel frame refines experiments from previous buildings and achieves an extremely light skeleton.
source: https://www.ozetecture.org/magney-house-bingie-point
This material reduction is visible in the fine edge of the northern roof overhang where the metal skin acts with the tensile steel struts and eliminates additional supporting members. The improbably thin roof is symbolic of a house which feels unexpectedly light, almost transportable.
source: https://www.ozetecture.org/magney-house-bingie-point
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
