Hugh Buhrich

Hugh Buhrich (April 25, 1911 – June 18, 2004) was a German architect who arrived in Australia as a refugee from Nazi Germany before WWII. Buhrich's practice, of 40 years, covered commercial and domestic projects. His projects were generally designed in a modernist style and often contained specific interior designs along with the buildings.^[1] His most notable and recognized project was the construction of his personal home which is described by Peter Myers as "the finest modern house in Australia".^[2]

Personal life

In his earlier years Buhrich would have pursued medicine instead of architecture, however, it required Latin. Heavily influence by the Bauhaus style, Hugh wanted to enroll in a university located at home, except his scholarship would have been rendered invalid as he was required to leave. As a result he attended an architecture school in Munich, until he was ejected by the Nazis in retaliation for student political activity. Shortly afterword Buhrich decided to move to Berlin where he practiced under Hans Poelzig, an architect, painter and set designer. During this time he met his future wife Eva Buhrich, who was a fellow student. Buhrich eventually moved to Zurich where he finally finished his degree in the German Free state of Danzig, which is now Gdansk.

Hugh's wife Eva fled Germany to Holland, however, he could not practice architecture there and was forced to go to London by himself. Hugh and Eva ultimately decided to settle in Australia after debating between emigrating to America, which was too competitive, or to South Africa which required a landing fee and was too expensive.

Work life

After arriving in Australia, Professor A. S. Hook from the University of Sydney's helped Hugh and Eva secure a (shared) architectural job in Canberra. When war broke out, the Buhrichs were dismissed from the job following the return of the original employees. During this time Hugh joined the army and only resumed his practice upon return. Remaining unregistered in New South Wales until the early 1960s, Hugh restricted himself mainly to furniture and interiors. However, from the 1960s to 1970s, roughly twenty buildings were designed and constructed by Hugh. Unfortunately the vast majority of his work has been demolished but his own house, largely self-built between 1968 and 1972, still stands today and is perhaps the most accomplished of his works.

Notable projects

Buhrich's house was designed and built between 1968 and 1972.^[3] It is Located at 375 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag, and is a reinterpretation of a European modernist's aesthetic. The structure stands atop of a sandstone ledge overlooking middle harbour and was inhabited by Buhrich for over thirty years. The house was designed and built to accommodate the surrounding landscape and is therefore built at one level. It is meant to give a sense of "going downhill" towards the waterfront. This was accomplished by sloping the ceiling to the legal minimum facing the water's edge. Almost every part of this highly inventive building was made for a specific purpose with repetitive simple parts and off-the-shelf materials. The house stands out from many other styles during the time period with the angularity of the plan, and the casual regular and irregular geometries. Described by French critic Françoise Fromonot as "a truly radical building" and Peter Myers as "the finest modern house in Australia", the Buhrich house provides extraordinary beauty into Hugh's most intensely personal project.

Point Piper House in Point Piper, New South Wales, was designed by Burich and completed in 1961. It was extensively renovated in 2005 with the object of keeping Burich's original design elements intact.^[4]

References