Written into Existence: Publications and the Perceived Narratives of Gregory Burgess’s Architecture

Abstract

This research contributes to the influential work of Melbourne-based Architect, Gregory Burgess. Awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 2004, Burgess is best known for celebrating human values through design and for his spiritual methodologies, organic aesthetic, and work with Indigenous landowners. While Burgess has initiated very little writing, his work has been the focus of numerous articles published within a variety of journals, newsletters, magazines, and books including those from the construction industry which are often overlooked in journalistic reviews. This paper investigates discussions of architecture in publications through lenses such as intended audiences and physical medium, which consequentially develop narratives and form perceived relationships between an architectural project, an architect, and reader. Conducted as archival research within Gregory Burgess’s anthology of saved publications, the examination and cataloguing of over 230 publications that mention him and his work date from 1979-2013. The breadth of the collection provides publications which range from local timber fabrication companies to Russian journals reviewing organic architecture, the majority in which the architect and the work was discussed without consultation from the design team. As a robust collection was maintained by the architect himself, general issues of discovering and accessing publications including those which fall within the digital dark age can be accessed and provide a fuller historical perception of the built work. The discussions of and narratives formed within this literature portray Burgess and his work in conscientious manners through the written word targeted for specific audiences: the construction industry, the trained architect, and members of the general public. Often, rather than contributing to architectural journalism or critique in a meaningful way, prominent projects and their broader themes become a vehicle for the author to promote their own voice and ideas. The findings argue that the different relationships an author has experiencing an architectural space demonstrates a broader picture of the architectural industry and the ways that historical publications can generate a perception of a designer and their designs.