Addicted to Architecture reveals the experiences and philosophies that have shaped the life of Robert Dickson, a pioneer of contemporary architecture and design in SA.
From the first challenge of designing and building a modest house while an architectural student, Dickson has consistently applied a fresh and independent approach to design. His philosophy and practice is as relevant to the design challenges facing us today as it was six decades ago.
Nature as the model for design, housing as shelter, modest interaction with the environment and encouraging clients to participate in the quest for an enlightened aesthetic is his legacy.
Dickson’s first design brief in the era of building restrictions post World War Two was to design and build himself a house using only the quantity of materials then available. Meant as a first house, he is still living in it six decades late, a testament to the deep design philosophy evident in a young student and carried through his professional life.
Addicted to Architecture is a seductively presented and informative chronicle of Dickson’s career with detailed descriptions of his building projects. It will appeal to architects and architectural students as will as anyone interested in urban design and South Australia’s architectural landscape from the 1950s until the present.
Dickson, who lives in Adelaide, is committed to the place, space, light and materials that are South Australian. To challenge and refine this philosophy of faithfulness to place and conditions, he travelled and worked with renowned architects in Italy and London, and learned the influence of centuries of design on place and materials.
Dickson won the Institute of Architects inaugural Twenty-Five Year Award.
RRP $80.00
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