For Sale

I just found out that one of the best houses I've designed in my career is reluctantly up for sale.  The stunning Serpentine House at Doonan has been put on the market so that the owners can take up new opportunities.  If I had the money I would buy it myself!

Here is the link to the real estate listing...
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-doonan-108633811

Onward & Upward!

As no doubt happens in every business, sometimes you get a few "difficult" clients.  The kind of clients that don't appreciate, don't communicate and generally don't remunerate for your time and skill.  Now that these "difficult" clients are finished, it is like a fresh breeze has swept out the cobwebs that were weighing down the creativity of the designs.


It is now time to focus on the new clients with the vision and appreciation for good design.  It is also the start of a fresh direction in design, a time to take what has been learned and push it even further towards bigger and better things.

Hello, and welcome to television!

I have joined You Tube!  I have set up a channel, uploaded a video (linked below) and subscribed to other channels that I find of interest.

You Tube is amazing in that anyone with a computer can upload a video or slideshow and it is instantly available for the world to see!  Feel free to check out the official Phil Darwen Design you tube channel via the link on the menu bar of the website and be sure to check back regularly for updated content.

Best new iPad app

About a week ago, I downloaded a fantastic app for the iPad called Paper by fiftythree.  What a great app!


Using this very simple and elegant app, I can get down ideas, sketch layouts, develop elevations and make notes on the go or while sitting with clients. It's actually quite useful from the building design viewpoint.

It's free from the App Store too (although the additional pens can be purchased separately).


Highly recommended, two thumbs up!

Where have you lived?

A fellow blogger posed the question in a recent post that he had lived in three houses over the course of his life.  This got me rambling down the old memory lane of where I had lived up to this point.  The houses have been very nondescript in their appearance and have been spaced far and wide throughout the state of Queensland.  Thanks to Google Earth, I have revisited them...

My childhood home at Wulkaraka (yes, that's the actual name of the suburb)

My home in the mining town of Middlemount (again, that's the actual name of the town)

Many wonderful times spent at this place at Lambert's Beach

We call this place "the lake"...trust me there is a lake just off to the right

Our current home in the Queensland capital

I wonder where the next place is that I shall call home?

Fallingwater Animation

Just thought I would share this link to an excellent animation showing the structure and form of my favourite piece of architecture...Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Enjoy!

Who is your inspiration?

Inspiration can come from a variety of sources.  As a building designer, a lot of ideas are influenced by the exploits of others.  I have to emphasise the word 'influenced' because in the world of architecture and building design, no two sites are the same.  There is always subtle differences in micro-climate, solar aspect, wind exposure, etc to render each site unique from the other.  Of course there are housing subdivisions that throw caution to the wind and present cookie-cutter designs to the masses that sit side by side with only a different facade to tell them apart, but let's ignore these for a moment.
When I design, each site is truly unique and each client has their own ideas, lifestyle and requirements.  As a result of this, each and every house I design is unique.  Of course, they may contain similar ideas, materials, fittings and fixtures, but the outward appearance and internal configuration is always different.


By far my greatest inspiration in becoming a building designer was the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his iconic modernist home of Fallingwater in Bear Run, Pennsylvania.  

This amazing construction comprises of cantilevered concrete slabs that project out and over the waterfall below.  It was ahead of it's time when it was built and remains one of the most striking examples of architecture in the world. Each time I look at this image I see another subtlety or revealing detail.


So Frank would have to be up there with my "inspiration" architects.  Others include:

Richard Neutra and his fabulous Kaufmann Desert House.

Pierre Koenig and the fantastic Case Study House.

Guz Architects, Singapore.

The very talented Marcio Kogan from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Soo Chan and his team at SCDA Architects.

So there you are... These are the people I look up to and aspire to emulate.  Like I said, a mix of the past and the present.  No matter what field you work in though, the inspiration of your peers and those who came before you should help to drive you into the future.  I am constantly learning from those around me and I don't ever want to stop.