Theory, Sensibility and Contradiction in Practice

In the past eighteen months, two major Australian architects have published books which engage with contemporary events and design debates, each exploring these topics though distinct tones and approaches. Peter Wilson’s debut Bedtime Stories for Architects (2023) offers a romp through both the theory and practice of architecture refracted through Wilson’s personal history and the work of his German-based firm BOLLES+WILSON. Richard Francis-Jones’ collection of 15 essays Truth and Lies in Architecture (2022) explores, with pressing urgency, the internal and external pressures and crises that the architectural discipline currently faces: architectural education and its relationship to practice and theory, the climate crisis, political polarisation and the rise of an increasingly ‘post-truth’ society. Both titles engage with a similar set of references including Australian Modernism, Le Corbusier and British architect and critic Kenneth Frampton – who penned the foreword for Truth and Lies in Architecture. Similarly, each title pays particular attention to personal sensibilities in both content and tone. For instance, Francis-Jones calls for architects to embrace the “pensiveness and sensitivity” of melancholy, while Wilson relies on humour to express his speculative and technical architectural preoccupations within his text. 

Francis-Jones begins Truth and Lies in Architecture with the philosophical bind many architects face; he is concerned about climate change, excessive consumption and unstoppable growth in an industry that contributes heavily to each of these phenomena. Many interpretations of “truth” and “lies” surface throughout the text; likewise, these essays are at their best when they investigate notions of perception versus reality which currently operate in the profession. In ‘The Slowness of Architecture and the Speed of the Architect’ Francis-Jones observes that while new technology, such as BIM, has increased the volume of information about a project, it has failed to increase speed of construction. Accordingly, he refuses to be dazzled by technological “change”. Rather, Francis-Jones advocates for thoughtfulness and resistance to prevailing forces that push us further into isolation from one another and alienate us from our work. 

Wilson’s Bedtime Stories for Architects covers topics of various scale – from coat racks to notions of national identity and elements of architectural practice, from tongue-in-cheek self-advertisements to graphic portraits of “bankers, estate agents, property developers and a few OK people”. The book is divided into two sections: a series of reproduced essays followed by an alphabetically categorised section where entries of various lengths alternate between the scholarly and the speculative. Wilson’s relationships and personal experiences often manifest in imagery throughout and effectually slip through his otherwise wry sensibility. Anyone who has flown from Europe to Australia will recognise the familiar rhythmic cycle of mountains, desert and ocean landscapes featured in the section titled “C is for Counterfactual Histories”. In fact, the book’s experimental structure is in defence of this “flight time”, or, guilt-free, disconnected time of reflection, association and collection. The breadth of topics covered in this short-essay format works best if one consciously approaches the text as a series of provocations – flip open to any page and read a section before bed (as Wilson seems to invite) or during a commute. 

Both Wilson and Francis-Jones’ texts are intimately linked to the authors’ pedagogical lineage and provide valuable insight into how established architects connect their own education and architectural practice to contemporary issues and concerns. Both titles, in different ways, argue for theory’s place within architectural practice. In the words of Francis-Jones, theory is the “critical platform for reflection” without which “we may lose our bearings completely and go under, taking the project of architecture with us”. According to Francis-Jones’ framing of theory – being an essential means of respite in the mutable sea of practice – it seems essential that the discipline supports educational platforms and publishing efforts. This is particularly true for the next generation of Australian architects whose concerns may be similar, but whose references, approaches and strategies may generate other ideas entirely. U

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