Despite a spate of recent news slating Perth architecture, the city is experiencing a creative boom in recent design as its property market slowly recovers, a principal architect has said.
Recently appointed regional principal architect at Woodhead’s Perth office, John-Paul Davies, told Architecture & Design architects are spending more time on producing aesthetic designs as budgets and fees increase.
He predicts architects will deliver projects that show more personality and flair as funding flows back into the market.
Space, light and good design principles are essential to push projects forward and ensure there are no limitations in design, Davies said.
“While it hasn’t been lost completely, there is not a lot of scope for design flair in education and health projects which we are seeing a lot more of at the moment,” he said.
“Architects need to push the boundaries to ensure designs aren’t brought to the lowest common denominator,” he said.
He predicts Perth will see the use of more use of space and functionality in design in the future to deliver flexible and adaptable developments.
“We will also see more sustainable designs as people get smarter with passive design principles that aren’t so costly,” he said.
Responding to Professor Jan Gehl’s claims that Perth’s architecture is ‘monofunctional’ and in need of a personality transplant, Davies disagrees.
“Design in Perth may not be as cutting edge as some other cities, but it is certainly not lagging behind,” he said.
He believes a stronger architecture culture and industry base would benefit the industry and improve the presentation of thoughts in Perth.
