design
mag |
55
He is political and happy to be known as such
and contends that work life balance is a core
part of his firm’s ethos.This doesn’t seem to
have taken a toll on their productivity because
there is clearly a plethora of projects that this
little firm has taken on.Andrew is very clear
that the firm will stay small because it works
best at five people.“We don’t want to grow
further than that. It may make more money
but we would probably be more miserable.”
Maynard says he is often called a “media slut”,
a description he rejects.“Media is a ubiquitous
part of life and culture,” he contends. He
believes in being accessible and is more than
willing to communicate in ways that people
understand through his website, blogging, and
in a willingness to be involved in media.
His first formative architectural experience was
as an 11 year-old at a Peter Greiner-designed
holiday home in Tasmania’s north-east which
revealed that wonderful difference between
building and architecture, and shaped the
direction he has taken.“It was the multi-
layering of spaces, blurring the edges
between inside and outside that was so
intriguing,” he recalls.“This is what really
interests me: the edges of spaces and
complex arrangements.”
He was exposed at an early age to different
parts of Australia as the family moved with his
father’s work, developing his awareness of the
design principles that have shaped cities.
Other influences are Scandinavian and
Japanese architecture where the junction
between the tectonic and modernism has
delivered rich examples of human-scale
architecture with a fine tactile experience.
University of Tasmania’s late and much
admired Rory Spence was also a clear
influence, as was the ‘hands on’ nature of the
design workshops where you were required to
bring your tools and build your designs.This
helped develop a can-do and a fearless
approach to design challenges. He shares a
concern that architecture will not survive if it is
just about manipulating space – he believes
architects must become involved in the big
issues by using design capabilities to find
solutions, a theme propagated by the
Australian contingent at the 2012 Venice
Architecture Biennale.
Some recent important works include the Hill
House (featured on ABC Television’s
Dream
Build
) and the Ilma Grove house profiled in this
issue of
design
mag
(page 44).
Andrew Maynard Architects website (www.
maynardarchitects.com) is quirky, borrowing
from new media and is a must-see.We salute
this young, fresh firm for the unaffected wit,
energy and talent as evidenced in their many
challenging works to date.
previous opening.
Andrew
Maynard; Hill House; design
evolution of the Hill House;
Mash House (photograph:
Kevin Hui).
this opening.
Napier Street
house (photographs: Peter
Bennetts), Hill House
(photograph: Kevin Hui).
