Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses

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Translation and transfer: the role of the traditional Japanese house in the design of the post-war Australian house

MITCHELHILL, JENNIFER ( 2008)

The Australian house of the early 1960s was a melange of international influences. The role that traditional Japanese architecture played in this mix is the subject of this thesis. The thirty-year period following the end of World War II was one of hardship, shortage, possibility and experimentation. It was a new beginning for Australia, a time of loosening ties with Britain, and turning toward the United States and Asia for inspiration. The houses of the West Coast of the United States were better suited to the Australian climate than those of Britain and Europe, while Asia, being on Australia's doorstep, offered possibilities for the development of a new regional style of architecture. Architects at this time dared to do things unheard of in Australian houses prior to World War II, and new technologies and products made it possible. Whole walls were filled by glass, roofs and balconies cantilevered precariously without visible support, kitchens merged with living rooms, and houses turned their back on the street and embraced the courtyard.