I’ve always considered Robin Boyd (1919-1971) to be Melbourne’s version of a modernist hero.
This isn’t to say that I’ve necessarily idolised his work; but his role in public architectural discourse post-WWII has led to him being perhaps the best-known architectural figure for the Baby Boomer generation (along with Glenn Murcutt and Harry Seidler).
He worked across many scales and media; most widely known for his residential work (the national residential award is named after him) he also worked alongside contemporaries Frederick Romberg & Roy Grounds; presented design on television; and wrote an influential book, The Australian Ugliness that took to task the suburban aesthetic of Melbourne architecture.
Of particular interest is the work he did setting up the Small Homes Services while Director of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects.He along with some other architects developed off the plan modernist designs for people to buy and build. The group invited architects to submit their own designs and curated those available to the public, Boyd presenting them in his articles in The Age Newspaper and selling the construction drawings.
(He also lectured at MIT for a couple of years in the late 50s).
Walsh Street House
Images taken from this very excellent Flickr Pool and Nader Tehrani.
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