Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

(1924–2001) and Ruth (born 1926) Lucas (née Harvey) were a husband and wife duo who together were accomplished Australian architects based in Sydney, best known for designing ''The Glass House'' (also known as the ''Lucas House''Sydney Architecture. Sydney Architecture Images – Northern Suburbs. Retrieved 13 April 2011, from http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/NOR/NOR08.htm) in

Castlecrag Castlecrag is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 8 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Castlecrag is a ...

as their own private residence.Myers, P Lewis, R Lucas, D & Lucas, A. 2002. 'Obituary', Architecture Australia, vol. 91, no.6, p.82. Retrieved 11 April 2011, from http://www.archaust.com/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=200211&article=30&typeon=3 As an architect, educator, furniture designer, set designer, innovator, and utopian, Bill was involved in over 20 projects in both Castlecrag and later

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

. Both Bill and Ruth were described as "very good architects in the

modern movement Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, a ...

in Australia" by

Pritzker Architecture Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produ ...

2002 Laureate,

Glenn Murcutt Glenn Marcus Murcutt AO (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the 2021 Praemium Imperiale. Glen ...

.Murcutt, Glenn. 2002. 'The Prizker Architecture Prize: Glenn Murcutt 2002 Laureate Acceptance Speech', p.2. Retrieved 14 April 2011 from

Personal lives

Bill Lucas was born on 31 December 1924 in Sydney. He was drafted into the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

Air Crew service in 1943, where he served for three years. He then had his first education on architecture in

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

where he graduated with honours. Bill went on to work in New Zealand with Hugh Grierson Architects, and designed his first home at Gymea Bay, Sydney, with his brother Neville. Ruth Harvey is mentioned as the only female architect attending the opening of the exhibition of Retrospective Architecture held in Sydney in 1954.''Architects take over from artists''
The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 September 1954, p. 13 (archived by ''Google News''). Retrieved 2011-12-01. Between circa 1955 Bill and Ruth met and, in 1956, were married. They had six children. The couple designed their famous Glass House at Castlecrag, Sydney in 1957, which became their family home for 5 years.Docomomo Australia. New International Selection Full Documentation Fiche 2003 – Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Retrieved 13 April 2011, from http://docomomoaustralia.com.au/pdf/Fiche_2003/FICHE_GLASSH.pdf In 1962 they moved to Underwood Street where helped to develop The Paddington Society. On Monday, 10 September 2001, Bill Lucas died of a heart attack at Moonbah, Thredbo.

Notable projects

Design group

Between 1955–57 Bill Lucas and Ruth Harvey worked with

Neville Gruzman Neville Gruzman, Order of Australia, AM (14 November 1925 – 1 May 2005) was an Australian architect, mayor of Woollahra, writing, writer and architectural activist. He is considered to have exerted a decisive influence on Sydney's architect ...

and Tony Moore where they lobbied for the design competition for the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century archit ...

. Bill was also in the forefront of the campaign to keep

Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...

on as designer.The Paddington Society 2010. September 2001 News Bulletin. Retrieved 12 April 2011, from http://www.paddingtonsociety.org.au/files/Bulletin%202001%20Sept.pdf

Glass House

One of the best-known projects of Bill and Ruth Lucas is ''The Glass House'' also simply known as ''Lucas House'', a house designed by Bill Lucas, as the home for Bill and Ruth Lucas, located in the Sydney suburb of . The house is a realization of their idea of an architecture that is 'barely there', or otherwise maintaining their integration with the bush setting. Bill Lucas also emphasizes the importance of the frame as the main structure of the architecture, 'everything that goes on after that destroys the original structure'.McCartney, K. 2007. 50/60/70: iconic Australian houses : three decades of domestic architecture, Murdoch Books, Sydney The house was built for their family, constructed with economy in mind. It was designed to function both as a studio and residence but within 5 years had become too small for the expanding Lucas family.

The Paddington Society

The Lucases became actively involved in helping to prevent the suburb of Paddington from comprehensive redevelopment. Paddington was the scene of many historical sites and architecture, notably Juniper Hall and Centennial Park. 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. At Paddington, the couple was involved in designing Orange Tree Grove, a

medium-density housing Medium-density housing is a term used within urban planning and academic literature to refer to a category of residential development that falls between detached suburban housing and large multi-story buildings. There is no singular definition of m ...

project, as well as the Orange Tree Grove Cooperative Art Centre with Owen Tooth, Marion Best and Mary White. Both of them were also involved in arranging the purchase of "Sea View Villa", Oxford Street, Paddington, where Ruth helps to establish Guriganya Progressive Community School.

Other projects

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

References

External links

Architecture Australia - Obituary - November/December 2002

The Paddington Society News Bulletin - September 2001

Redevelopment of College of Fine Arts Campus University of New South Wales, Paddington: Heritage Impact Statement

New International Selection Full Documentation Fiche 2003 – Glass House, Castlecrag, Sydney, NSW, Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Bill and Ruth Married couples 20th-century Australian architects Australian women architects Castlecrag, New South Wales 20th-century Australian women