Photograph by Martin Farquharson

Leederville Residence
Leederville, Western Australia 1999

The Glick residence was the result of a collaboration between graduate architect Jane Wetherall, artist Rodney Glick and his father Graham, a retired structural engineer. Glick’s interest in a small, disused and soon-to-be-demolished foundry was the initiating reference for his new residence and studio, situated on a small 90-square-metre suburban lot not far from the city centre.

Glick’s creative work with mundane industrial equipment and products, such as electrical cabinets and security monitors, overlapped the architect’s interests in an aesthetic influenced by practical decisions and low-cost construction, spoken in the language of modern architecture with a local accent.

The arrangement of domestic elements common to the neighbouring cottages—front porch, compact house, rear patio and workshop/shed in the backyard—are in this residence stacked vertically above the shed, which serves as an artist’s studio. The patio, complete with water, light and gas for the barbecue, is located on the roof. Contrasts are prevalent—light and dark; light and heavy; frame and plane; transparent, translucent and opaque; ground deck and roof deck; strip and boxed windows.

An oversized structural frame is expressed externally and left to rust, giving the residence a long but limited life. The external materials and finishes will, over time, become weathered by the strong sun, wind and rain, giving the architecture a distinctly local patina. Many of the materials and details of the house touch on the initial reference of the small foundry. The residence is one of several architectural projects that consider relationships between structure, skin and contained volume, composed with a ‘loose formalism’.

Donaldson + Warn, Architects
Donaldson + Warn, Architects was established in Perth, Western Australia, in 1985, continuing a long working association and friendship that has existed between the partners throughout their academic and professional lives.

Donaldson + Warn, Architects is a medium-sized, design-oriented architectural practice that is committed to providing its clients with the best possible service to achieve distinctive, high- quality architecture that is successfully delivered through a well-managed, collaborative process.

By combining local and international architectural experience with an ongoing association with other creative professionals and a serious commitment to architectural education and research, the practice maintains a creative outlook and provides the highest standards of design and production.

Donaldson + Warn, Architects offers professional services on projects including master planning, urban design, built-form studies, new buildings, renovations, refurbishments, space planning, interior architecture, fit-outs and product design. Also, in conjunction with specific consultants, the practice can provide building signage systems, landscape concepts and advice on the selection of artworks.