ANZ BANK

This is an ANZ bank in West Perth, designed by Donaldson + Warn in the early 90s.  A very strong assemblage of urban forms and devices. Sun screens are used very effectively, and figure highly in the composition. The steel framed colonnade set off from the main building , creates a well articulated space for pedestrian access and defines the building on the west side.

HomesWest

This is the second part of the Donaldson and Warn Homeswest housing in Victoria Park. The first part was in King George st, this is in Camberwell st. This development consists of more traditional detached single houses, whereas the other had more of an urban townhouse feel. These are low slung, simple volumeswith pitched roofs , with bold brick patterning and standard, almost unrefined detailing. It uses the same palette of materials and colours as the King George st set, just in a  different form. Very suburban, in a good way.

Mindarie Senior College

This is Mindarie Senior College, designed by Donaldson and Warn in 2002/3. It is a school only for year 11/12s and it is amazing. It packs the usual school buildings dispersed over the site, and stacks them into 2 fingers cranked off a double height atrium/circulation space and has a courtyard space in between. Very efficient in terms of access, site coverage, and solar orientation. the use of materials suitable to the site, which is harsh and punishing, are executed extremely well.  Public art is also featured prominently in the school and adds a rich texture and depth to the scheme, especially as it is incoporated in to parts of the building. Great entry/focal point to, a little constructivist sign post thing. Great.

Headmasters House

This is currently under construction, the Headmasters house at CCGS. Designed by Donaldson and Warn. It absolutely blew me away, and I cant really describe why. But it will be a phenomenal house. The way the house slopes backwards down the site, with a long straight run skillion roof, reminiscent of Iwanoffs early works, and the rigid control of rectangular window openings, and great little rectangular sills. The combination of stark white rendered top and cream brick ground floor are excellent, and will be interesting to see how it progresses. The awning over the entry/front is also interesting, it appears to have landed straight from the HWL school next door, the brown hih profile roofing. Excellent.

Music Dept.

This is the Music Department at Churchlands Senior High, designed by Donaldson and Warn in around 1992. A really interesting building, but I dont know much about it unfortunately. Interesting how it is broken down into 4 separate parts, and stitched together, to make a varied facade and building. A variety of interesting details and imagery are all weaved together and compiled to create a building that can somewhat be read and interpreted. Portal windows, a soaring concave roof, sawtoothed/folding walls, eliptical and round exhaust vents, angular concrete walls etc. I like how the white bit with  blue stripe reminds me of the Hale memorial hall just down the road, coincedence??? Exellent staircase and balustrade details. It also ties really well into and nods towards the rest of the school, done in fairly standard 40-50-60s school style.

Aged Care

This is an aged care facility in Mt Claremont designed by Donaldson and Warn in 1991, or thereabouts. It continues on with similar themes and aesthetic cues from the public housing in Vic Park. Fantastic driveway, steel entry canopy details and use of materials. The bold forms of the units are quite striking and overscaled, making them appear bigger than they should be, a ‘toytown’ appearance almost. A beautiful development.

Public Housing

This is an absolutely amazing public housing development in Victoria Park by Doanldson and Warn in 1990. Project architects were Peter Kernot and Richard Black I believe. Although they dont look so fantastic now, due to maintenance not being upkept, they are astounding pieces of architecture. The most interesting thing about them for me is the way they exist within a movement happening at that time, which existed both in Perth and Melbourne, and produced particularly theoretical, brutal and uncomprimising architecture. Key players include ARM, Simon Anderson, D+W and Edmond and Corrigan some 10 years earlier. The use of face brick in both red and cream, large unbroken areas of brickwork, small windows, sometimes square, exposed steel work(painted duck egg blue?!), and a general use of ‘cheap’, off the shelf materials, left raw and honest and generally very cost efficient. Which is appropriate in Public Housing. This project is very similiar, at least in appearance to the WhereHouse. The slipped balustrades are of particular interest. I could write for ages about these, unfortunately I do not know to much about the movement, and hesitate to weigh into any proper analysis, especially in such a public forum! Anyway, this amazing architecture, I am so happy that this stuff exists in our state. It is so perfect. Part 2 to come soon!