One or two things I know about … JWA

Thirty-two years ago, when I was getting to know Melbourne and its architecture, there were persistent whisperings about a beach house at Balnarring, said to be remarkable. Eventually I met John Wardle, the author of this much-discussed house, and went on a site visit with him – the first, as it turned out, of many visits to his buildings in subsequent years. And yes, indeed, the house was remarkable; a hybrid of an autonomous object – almost cabinetry-like, giving the impression that a drawer could be pulled out in an act of extension – and site specificity, the way it rested among the tea-trees seeming effortlessly right in weight and density. It was, and still is, utterly wonderful, and it signalled the hybridity that has characterized all the work of John Wardle Architects.

Later, I was able to Unforgettably, he summarized his findings in the articulations of a joinery unit, the Masters Unit that resides in his house. Each opening drawer or extension described a design strategy more eloquently than words ever could. At one end, taking a section and extruding it to lengths extended a set of drawers that telescoped out, one from another, until, in the last, a pencil was revealed. As architectural theorist Diane Lewis said at that time, “What is this? A pencil. You cannot take this away from an architect.”