Interviews mit Stuart Threadgold

Since graduating from Curtin University with honours in 1995, I've worked at various award winning offices, such as; Banham Architects, Design Ink and Overman Zuideveld prior to establishing Threadgold Architecture in 2008.

My paternal patronage was engineering so my personal shift to architecture was a decision I had made in my early childhood. I didn't think I could purse my gifting in mathematics 24/7.

My building design gives priority to climate, context and culture. Since university, I have moved away from building physical models as ArchiCAD is a more complete physical study of a building.

The inception of a new project and the endless possibilities is always the most exciting part of any project but equally achieving the client's outcomes at practical completion provides immense satisfaction as an Architect.

In my observations, most projects that suffer fatal flaws and possibly end in court are where the collaborative process between client, architect, engineer et al has broken down through poor communication. Interestingly, the Australian of Architects and Architeam manage CPD events specifically targeting communication but in my experiences, the best way to develop good communication skills would be via marriage.

Since the global financial crisis, bank credit has been increasingly difficult to procure for many Australian clients. The size, scale and complexity of future projects need to recognize this persistent challenge so I believe growth can be found in smaller projects and budgets - we can already see this shift in the tiny house movement. These days an architect's market is inextricably linked to the derivatives market.

Younger architects and building designers should consider building a 'war-chest' and jumping over the other side of the table and put to use all the valuable skills they have acquired in wearing a developer's hat.

One of the biggest challenges for architects these days is selling their service and fighting perceptions of being 'expensive'. The challenge to this misconstrued idea in the market place is to reduce professional fees to levels that could result in short-cuts; particularly in light of recent free trade agreements. Reducing fees is a very slippery slope under tort law and a better course maybe to convince clients 'value'.

Depending on the number of projects you are juggling at any given time; as an architect and builder it is difficult to rigidly follow a routine. Scheduled meetings and interruptions from clients, consultants and trades mean that routine is a sunset on the horizon.

Flicking through magazines are the most enjoyable way to be cognizant of design news but online journals, blogs and the like may be the death of print media.

10% of all professional fees go to christian charities.

Studied Bachelor of Applied Science (Architecture) and Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) at Curtin University. The two degrees are now called Masters of Architecture.

Satisfying client briefs and delivering spaces that are a delight to inhabit.

I chose architecture as profession early in my (primary/elementary) education journey.

Net zero buildings.

Don't procrastinate achieving educational milestones.

There is a difference between simply satisfying the brief and bringing design solutions that create space that is a delight to inhabit.

There are many pragmatic factors (energy efficiency, access to sunlight, context, massing, ergonomics, textures, colour, budget et al) that delineate well considered architecture but there is also the subjective emotional response that elevates architecture beyond 'good'.

Good architecture promotes a healthy lifestyle.

My new residence on north shore Oahu.

Listen to and satisfy the client's architectural brief within the allocated budget.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

University study trips to inspect landmark buildings.

An engineer like the rest of my family.

A $12.5m net-zero beachfront eco resort.

Listening to the client's architectural brief on the project site and summarizing the brief in written form.

Technological advances provide impetus for the evolution of architectural design.

Advances in technology are constantly informing new archtitectural design responses.

Graphisoft and Autodesk

Specifying the appropriate material colours and textures defines the occupant's experience of the space.

Did you meet the client's budget?

Did the architect consider alternative design routes, processes or outcomes?

Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe

University design lecturers.

Monument Architecture Journal

Listen more than you speak.

Nicola Tesla

Grateful.

Florence, Italy.

Watching Councillors interrogate a Planning Director.

Obtaining a Development Approval the town planner gave you a hard time about.

My mis-spent childhood was at the beach.

Quantum physics will inform designs of architects.

Architect Stuart Threadgold graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Architecture) and Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) in 1995 which is now Masters of Architecture. Prior to establishment of threadgold architecture + construction extensive experience was gained at award winning architectural offices; including Overman Zuideveld (now trading as Zuideveld Marchant Hur Architects and Neil Cownie Architect), Design Inc, Banhams Architects, Griffiths Architects et al. With over thirty years in the construction industry, the practice has delivered successful building outcomes across all buildings classes, including; upmarket individual homes, multi-residential developments, mixed-use developments, community and medical centers, shopping centers, offices and retail developments and hotels.

Threadgold Architecture is a boutique architectural practice established in 2008 with offices in Western Australian and Texas offering clients a personal and holistic design and construction service. The architectural practice has a small team of skilled and dedicated professionals and strives to deliver a high level of professional service. The architectural practice esteems excellence and seeks to deliver innovative building designs that are functional, spatially distinct, memorable and cost effective.

Creatively satisfying the clients architectural brief on-time and on-budget.

The practice delights in architectural design of mixed-use developments for inner city and urban areas where adaption and reinterpretation of existing buildings can be incorporated into the architectural brief.

The Yallingup House Design is an architectural design that the practice delighted as an off-grid house for a 120 acre farm in the Yallingup hills. This Yallingup House embodied the clients’ ideal to live sustainably and off-grid with the brief demanding the Yallingup architect Threadgold Architecture to create a power self-sufficient house design and incorporating passive solar design principles to reduce energy consumption. This Yallingup House Design optimizes environmentally sustainable design and passive solar design principles by being sited at elevation for cooling breezes and is surrounded by citrus, nut and pomme fruit orchards set out to permaculture principles as part of the design brief received by architect Threadgold Architecture. It achieves passive solar design principles through a generous allocation of north facing glazing and end folding glass doors and highlight glass louvres for stack effect ventilation.

During summer, the owners of the Yallingup House open the Breezeway glass louvres to the underside of roof eaves on the northern elevation to generate cross ventilation and cool the kitchen, living and dining areas. Throughout the colder days of a south west winter, the owners close the operable windows and louvres to enjoy direct sunlight across 85% of the living floor space. The Yallingup architect specified a honed concrete floor to the Yallingup House Design to maximise passive solar design by capturing the radiant heat from the direct sunlight during the daylight hours and releasing the heat through cooler south-west evenings into the Yallingup House.

The design incorporated photovoltaic panels for energy generation behind the single lock standing seam anthra zinc clad parapetd. The Yallingup House Design sustainable design credentials were further endorsed through rainwater harvesting and a potable water storage capacity of 550 kilolitres and a 440 litre Solarhart solar hot water system boosted by the Chazelle Chimneys wood fire box. The Yallingup architect reduced the embodied energy by utilising local jarrah and sheoak hard wood species with a high natural resistance to white ants. Yallingup architect‘s brief for the project included an edible landscape surrounding the house comprising of dwarf coffee trees, feijoa, papaya, pineapple and tamarillo trees to permaculture principles.