The Ultimate Party House | Walsh Street House 1958 by Robin Boyd. Melbourne Mid-Century Modern Icon

Join Kevin Hui and Andrew Maynard in touring, discovering and breaking down the design of the ultimate party house, designed by Robin Boyd in 1958, the Walsh Street House in Melbourne, Australia. Architecture travel video
✈️ Upcoming Tours:
www.archimarat...
LEARN TO SEE ARCHITECTURE. SEE TO LEARN ARCHITECTURE
🔔 Subscribe for our weekly content on architecture, education and architecture travel.
www.youtube.com...
🙏 Support us on Patreon and get exclusive content
/ archimarathon
💻 Discord Channel:
/ discord
👁 [WATCH THIS FIRST IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY]
Critical Thinking | WHY WHY HOW of Architecture Design
• Critical Thinking | WH...
THE MAIN THING | Architecture + Design
• THE MAIN THING in Arch...
💻 References and suggested links:
Robin Boyd Foundation
robinboyd.org....
More information on Walsh Street House
repository.arc...
🌏 Websites:
Archimarathon
www.archimarath...
Austin Maynard Architects
www.maynardarch...
📷 Follow us on Instagram:
Kevin Hui
/ archimarathon
Andrew Maynard
/ maynardarchitect
📩 Contact us: [e-mail]

[@bec9696]

Such a clever home with a warm hug feel. I love the idea of kids down the back and the little hidden secrets hidden in plain sight. I had this dream of finding a secret Boyd house last year when we moved. Did consider the Ringwood one, but didn’t work for us as much as I wanted it to.

[@simeonjamison3034]

I'm going to have to buy my lecturer a coffee as a thank you for introducing me to your channel. Love the videos!

[@Archimarathon]

Thank him/her for us too.

[@boflae2856]

Thanks for sharing. I lived for years two blocks from this house at Caroline Street and never had the chance to look inside (I wish) during my walks around the neighborhood.

[@Archimarathon]

Never too late. So lucky it was saved

[@kudzaishemakweta211]

Interesting, after watching this you can never look at a building the same way. I deeply appreciate your guys, please keep it up

[@Archimarathon]

That’s why Archimarathon’s motto is “Learn to see architecture. See you learn architecture”. Anyone can look but not everyone can see.

[@Dev1nci]

22:54 when I was in varsity we had a toilet that was in the most secluded part of the building, affectionately dubbed Poo-with-a-View. It had its frosted glass window smashed out and looked over the leafy campus. Many would write their favourite architectural quotes on the wall that related to the act of relieving oneself. A nice well earned break + a view + architectural jokes + relief, it was great 😂😂

[@Archimarathon]

Awesome place making

[@Dev1nci]

@@Archimarathon As comical as it is, I completely agree.

[@Nynke_K]

Amazing! Part of me wants to travel back in time and magically give the architect double glazing, but what a great house.

[@Archimarathon]

Different time back then and yes it is possible to have double or triple glazing with the same effect. I have edited out the discussion of Lewerentz’s work such as St Petri Church in Klippan and the flower shop at Malmö Cemetery.

[@ian-cq9nx]

Nice video guys! I find that learning about how all these little details fit together in a house much more useful than broad theoretical concepts filled with archibabble.

[@Archimarathon]

Thanks. Well broad concepts are important in making decisions about these little details. We tried to make clear the overall and how the finer details fit that narrative.

[@CamberHill]

Fascinating story and renovation.

[@Archimarathon]

Renovation?

[@mapout.studio]

Loved the episode. Congrats guys!

[@Archimarathon]

Muchas gracias.

[@hurtecho]

One of my favorite videos so far...such a beautifully produced construction...great house!

[@Archimarathon]

Oh, long time no hear. There has been lots since. You are a bit behind with our videos.

[@hurtecho]

@@Archimarathon ohhh I know…I know, 30 something + unseen videos and counting 🤯!!! I promise I’ll never neglect you like this again…I’ll fix this immediately!

[@Archimarathon]

@@hurtecho come join our Discord community. We have quite a few from Latin America

[@gabybordino6024]

Wow! I love this house! I didn´t know anything about the architect, now I´m going to look up about him and his work. The house has heaps of interesting things and details, and even when looks so simple, I thought while watching the video, how many hours of thinking and designing takes to reach to this simplicity. I particularly loved how the upper level seems to be floating. And this courtyard OMG, I could live there forever. Lately I have been considering the architecture of Australia (and also New Zealand) as a sort of new Nordics, there is a tendency about good design and sleek details. Now I know in part where this tendency comes from.

[@Archimarathon]

Yes this is one of those places that you spot new things every time you visit. I have been there a few times and we have both discovered new things this visit. As I was saying on another comment thread, there was such simplicity of how things were done and in a way we have lost some of that simplicity in the world of architecture design these days IMHO.

[@gabybordino6024]

@@Archimarathon I totally agree with you

[@gabybordino6024]

@@Archimarathon Another thing that I loved about the house was to see the BKF chairs. It´s funny, I know there are well known, and somehow in context with the house, but it surprises me every time I see one of them around the world :)

[@Archimarathon]

I have 2 at my house

[@gabybordino6024]

@@Archimarathon

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Definitely a party house for sure. Just need a tannoy system and birdy num num and we're set!

[@Archimarathon]

The hanging joinery has built in speakers on both ends!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@Archimarathon awesome! I always appreciate how much effort and design goes into these joinery pieces in these types of houses, don't see enough of this macro level consideration in projects anymore.

[@tindo6455]

I really enjoyed that! Just nodding in agreement to all the ways the structure, detail and spaces line up - which made me then realise that everything I currently find satisfying in architecture, I had probably absorbed first from a university lecturer/tutor.

[@Archimarathon]

And who may that be?

[@tindo6455]

@@Archimarathon starting with a few lectures from Antony Radford that I'll always refer back to: the staff at the University of Adelaide! Plenty of 'Form, Space and Order' as well, it's just seeped in subconsciously now.

[@zaahirahmed7924]

Thank you for the educational tour guys appreciate it! I wish the foundation would have tried to replicate the exact furniture that was seen in the '58 shot just to get a more realistic feel to what Boyd intended. In my opinion the massive oversized sofa and table actually block the view and light from the courtyard consequently making the space introverted whereas the sparsely placed single chairs and round table(in the old image) make it seem like it was his place to experience slowness, a place to think away from the 'party' away from the rest of the world. Much like the deck in the Glenn's marie short house that you both spoke about in the parti video, this space is within the house but it feels like it is at the heart of the courtyard because of the disappearing glass wall in front of it. Thanks again you legends, big fan! love all your videos such original content!

[@Archimarathon]

Thanks for your thoughts and comments

[@shokoladniybegemot]

🤤🤤So good! Great see all the little details, do visit more modernist houses! What about the Featherston house, is it open?

[@Archimarathon]

No Featherston House is not open to public and in fact they have done a major renovation/addition a couple of years ago and the internal garden is yet to grow back. I think at the moment I will try to focus on publicly accessible projects so people can also experience them

[@Dev1nci]

I feel like Australian architects are true minimalists because there is a constant consideration for how little can be used to get the job done well.

[@Archimarathon]

I think a lot of the older houses tend to be a lot simpler (in a good way)

[@Dev1nci]

@@Archimarathon Yeah true, it is the older architecture. I was looking at the work of Richard Leplastrier after watching a Glen workshop, it amazes me how little material he uses to make a building.

[@fastandcurious]

If we wanted to replicate this great house with modern tech and standards, could we keep the spirit of the house? How could we improve the efficiency of the house without eleminating everything that makes this house so great?

[@Suburban_Shepard]

@16:30 this is so different to what it is now!

[@Archimarathon]

Only different floor rug, different furniture (I am sure they use a longer sofa so people don’t walk into the glass) and no projector, but essentially the same.

[@Suburban_Shepard]

@@Archimarathon I think it makes the space far more open though. Apart from the seat next to the fireplace, the whole feel of the space is quite different

[@Archimarathon]

Well that was then primarily a house for 5 people and now (pre covid) it holds all kind of functions with up to 50 people in that space watching the projected screen.

[@Suburban_Shepard]

@@Archimarathon yes I've been there when it was busy. It's just interesting that it looked like that when it was just five people!

[@TheWoogeroo]

Nice, I’m removing the banister rails from my house as I type this. ;) What are those loveseats in the top floor party level? I love them.

[@WelcomeToSteph]

Is that party or parti?

[@Archimarathon]

I was wondering if anyone was going to say that.

[@WelcomeToSteph]

@@Archimarathon eyyyyyyy 😎 my dream one day is to build myself a courtyard house, this is a great precedent to study 👌🏼 can't wait until it's a little easier to get back and forth to Melbourne.

[@Archimarathon]

Sydney definitely have the weather for it. Imagine if the Spanish colonised Australia instead of the British, we might have architecture that actually suits the weather

[@WelcomeToSteph]

@@Archimarathon imagine!!

[@efeoz8131]

We need heritage overlay for these type of incredible buildings.. They are equally -if not more- valuable than Victorian homes. Let's start an email campaign to the National Trust. Or employ bunch of vegans for their protest skills? Also, we need Archimarathon Melbs!! I would love to see spaces like this all over the city and talk smack about them.

[@Archimarathon]

Will consider Archimarathon Melbourne.

[@thethirdman225]

Robin Boyd wasn’t interested in conventional. Have a look at the video on Featherstone House if you want to see how far his ideas evolved. And he was only 52 when he died. It’s too bad that Boyd’s own house in Camberwell has been allowed to decay so badly, despite a heritage overlay.

[@myperspective5091]

👍🏆👍

[@scottrippon9565]

The Ultimate Party house? No. Well boys, once again, I must take you to task here....... I guess I could almost forgive you Melbourne boys.... but anyway..... The Rippon House was the ultimate party house. (Probably still is...) The parties we had in our space were amazing...... just ask anybody...!! We used to host parties for 200+ people.... rock bands, big screens, even bigger speakers, lighting rigs, 2 bars, great food....... Oh, and did I mention the space....? Haha! Kind regards SR