Jorn Utzon and Richard Leplastrier - Research

Jorn Utzon and Richard Leplastrier

Jorn Utzon

Designed the Sydney Opera House (finished by Peter Hall), Bagsværd Church, Kuwait National Assem. Building
Model of the Sydney Opera House as Utzon envisioned it had perfect accoustics and 'space for all disciplines'
Felt he couldn't return to Sydney, so he moved to Majorca in Spain because he believed it was similar to Sydney
Prototyping, testing and perfecting
"I wanted to get it right," recalls Utzon. "This was a job that was very important to me. In principle it was very simple. I wanted something that looked like it would grow, as Australia was growing."

"It was just like sculpture. I worked like a sculptor; I tried to shape the things and I made many models."

"It came from model work, more than paper work. You couldn't have this on paper because it would not be alive."

~Jorn Utzon

"With Kronborg in mind I was convinced that a new building in such a position as to be seen from all sides, had to be a large sculptural building."

~Jorn Utzon

"On top of this plateau the audience should meet the performers. In this way, the appreciation of the man-made performance landscape would be very strong. The audience and the performance itself, all taking place on top of the plateau, should be covered with a “light” sculptural roof, emphasising the heavy mass of the plateau below."

~Jorn utzon

A change in perspective for the individual and how they experience the space.

Additive architecture: Architecture should never really be finished, it should have the potential to be added onto and to grow. Adding to history. 

Organic architecture: Doesn't focus on the shapes of nature but rather the systems behind the creation of those shapes

http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/59ca36d1-4581-4d7d-83d7-04b124d801b1/files/soh-utzondesignprinciples.pdf

http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/gw-classics/utzon-breaks-his-silence-20140904-10c93e.html

http://www.news.com.au/world/sydney-opera-house-architect-jorn-utzons-blacklisting-by-denmark-to-be-erased/story-fndir2ev-1226790738836

Richard Leplastrier

Wood Gallery, Watsons' Bay House, Palm Garden House, Cloud Bay Retreat, Public Ablutions, Lovett Bay all look very oriental

Leplastrier was an ardent sailor and many of his buildings reflect the curvature and vessel-like nature of the hull of a ship. 

Worked for Jorn Utzon (who also loved to utilise sweeping lines hint hint) from 1964-1966 and worked in Kyoto for 18 months studying traditional Japanese architecture with Tomoya Masuda and Kenzo Tange in Tokyo, which could explain the oriental influence in his buildings. 

Personal connection with the inhabitants of the structure. Respect and reverence for nature (he insisted on site studies for his buildings, his buildings have been described by Peter Stutchbury as being a 'garment that sits in the landscape" and as having "concern with personal place and respect for the land". 

Influenced by the indigenous Australians' concept of leaving the land as you found it. 

Apparently many of his spaces are quite circular or enclosing because they are suppose to act as places for gathering. 

Many of his plans are simple, featuring few rooms and strong connections between them. Palm Garden House only has two rooms with long galley in between (reflecting traditional Japanese architecture), Lovett Bay only has one room, Cloudy Bay house only has three rooms that look into a central courtyard (which reflects ancient greek architecture), all of which allude to a simple way of living. Lots of architectural precedent for much of his architecture. 

His sensitivity to issues of culture and place and his accumulated wisdom in the design and making of architecture

The concept of threshold is important to Leplastrier's architecture. The threshold is blurred and subjective, undefined.

http://www.ozetecture.org/2012/richard-leplastrier/

http://www.ozetecture.org/2012/cloudy-bay-retreat/#!prettyPhoto[slides]/3/