Bill Lucas (architect) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bill Lucas was an Australian architect known well for the houses he designed along the Bulwark in Castlecrag, Sydney, in particular, the Glass House. While practicing as a full-time architect, Lucas also worked as a part-time lecturer at the School of Architecture of the University of New South Wales

University of New South Wales

The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

for a decade.

Personal life

Bill Lucas was born in Sydney in 1924. He was drafted into the RAAF Air Crew service in 1943, where he served for three years. Lucas then went on to study architecture at the University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...

where he graduated with honours. Lucas also studied Visual Arts at the East Sydney Technical University. He then moved to New Zealand where he worked with Hugh Grierson Architects There, he designed his first home with his brother, Neville at Gymea Bay, Sydney. Between 1955 and 1957 he worked with Neville Gruzman

Neville Gruzman

Neville Gruzman, AM was an Australian architect, mayor of Woollahra, writer and architectural activist...

, Tony Moore

Tony Moore

Tony Moore may refer to:* Tony P. Moore, Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly* Tony Moore , comic book artist on titles such as The Walking Dead, Fear Agent, and The Exterminators...

and Ruth Harvey where they submitted a competition entry for the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...

. He later married Ruth Harvey. The couple designed and built the Glass House in Castlecrag, Sydney which became their family home.

The Paddington Society

The Lucases became actively involved in helping to prevent the suburb of Paddington

Paddington

Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...

from comprehensive redevelopment. Paddington

Paddington

Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...

was the scene of many historical sites and architecture, notably Juniper Hall and Centennial Park. They helped set up the Paddington Society which campaigned to prevent Juniper Hall from being renovated and revamped. The Society also lobbied to prevent a sports stadium from being built in Centennial Park. The society still functions today as an action group but also serves to record the historical landmarks of the area.

Teaching career

Bill Lucas helped to further develop the architecture program at the University of New South Wales, where he taught for ten years between 1965 and 1975. At this time, Bill supervised students from UNSW, University of Sydney and the New South Wales Institute of Technology who were working on projects for R. Buckminster Fuller

Buckminster Fuller

Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....

’s World Design Science Decade.

Later years

Bill continued to design houses such as the Sieverding House until 1990 where he worked on and off with Cracknell & Lonergan Architects until his passing.
Bill Lucas died on 10 September 2001 of a heart attack. He died at Moonbah, Thredbo where he had designed a ski lodge in his early working days with Marion Hall Best. His children were with him at the time of his death.

Projects

The Glass House, 1957

The Glass House was one of the most notable projects of Bill Lucas. He collaborated with his wife, Ruth, to produce the design. As the name suggests, the house, predominantly consisting of glass, was designed with the intention of illustrating the importance of the structural frame of a building “everything that goes on after, destroys the original structure”. This stripping down of the building to its structural components is also visible in other houses designed by Lucas in Castlecrag.

Other projects

The Block House – Castlecrag, commissioned by Con and Addie Saltis, 1960

76 and 78 The Bulwark, Castlecrag with Neville Lucas

Moonbah Ski Lodge, Thredbo with Marion Hall Best, 1956-63

Guriganya Progressive Community School, 1970

Ruth Lucas: Bourke Aboriginal Housing with community, 1970

External links

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