Graham de Gruchy practised as an architect in South Africa for a decade before becoming a public architect, first in London and then in Brisbane. In 1963, Graham turned to academia, spending the next 25 years teaching in the Architecture School of the University of Queensland. In that capacity Graham influenced the development of a generation of Queensland architects. With his deep interest in interior design, furniture design and urban design he encouraged students to think broadly about their role as architect.
Graham was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1924. He studied architecture in the 1940s at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, interrupted for a few years by service in the South African Air Force in WW2. When the war ended while awaiting repatriation home Graham spent several months in Florence at a temporary university college set up for students whose education had been interrupted by war service. This provided a wonderful opportunity to study art and architecture in Italy. On the way back a few weeks in Cairo allowed a visit to Luxor to see the ancient temples.
Back in Johannesburg while completing his architecture course Graham was greatly influenced by the work of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed interiors and furniture for his buildings. During his architectural practice in South Africa during the decade of the 1950s Graham encouraged his clients to furnish their new homes with the best modern furniture available. His wife Joy helped with suggestions for these interiors. Later in the decade, from 1957-60, Graham also took up a lectureship at Witwatersrand.
Moving to Great Britain in 1960, Graham took a position as a design architect in the Housing Division of the London County Council. He designed Kingswood Estate, near Crystal Palace, for the LCC. This consisted of five-point blocks of apartments, terrace and courtyard houses.
When time permitted, Graham, wife Joy and three children, Jon, lan and Rayne, travelled extensively throughout Britain and Europe.
The family moved to Brisbane in 1962 where Graham had agreed to take up an appointment as architect with the Queensland Government’s Department of Works, where he designed Tara Hospital and later worked on the Government Precinct in Brisbane.
In 1963 Graham was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of Queensland. When Joy de Gruchy opened the Craftsman’s Market, an interior design studio, and later the de Gruchy Gallery, in Toowong, Graham became an architectural and design consultant to the business. His work for the business included designed a range of tables and desks and bookcase fittings for houses. Some of the coffee tables featured ceramic tiles by potter, Milton Moon.
Graham was keenly interested in interior and furniture design and promoted these in his teaching duties in the undergraduate course for architecture at the University of Queensland.Graham taught Architectural and Interior Design, emphasising the role of modern furniture and light fittings besides the other aspects of light, colour and texture in various types of space. The course also reviewed the history of furniture design. Students responded to some of the assignments featuring chair design which had to be strong, comfortable as well as having aesthetic appeal. Their designs were of great interest to all the students in the school.
When teaching in the final years of the Architectural Design course Graham set assignments that related to problem areas of the city, for example, the block of land opposite the General Post Office. His assignment brief called for a design that would provide for an underground car park, a level of shops above and a turfed roof that could be linked to Anzac Square. Tina Gibson happened to be one of the students whose father, Robin Gibson, later designed Post Office Square in the early 1980s.
During his 25 years teaching in the Architecture School Graham also gave a public lecture course in the history of Architecture. Graham became a Member of the Society of Interior Designers of Australia in 1976.
After gaining a Master of Architecture degree and a Diploma in Regional and Town Planning Graham was appointed Reader in Architecture in 1968 at UQ. During sabbatical leave Graham travelled through Japan, the USA and Europe in 1970. In Japan Graham visited Expo 70 to observe the use of moving footpaths. While in Britain he spent three months with the Greater London Council, Department of Planning and Transportation, preparing a report on Piccadilly Circus while also compiling information on pedestrian malls and underground railway concourses.
In 1977 Graham was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (UQ) in architecture.Graham served as Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning and was appointed Associate Professor in 1984. Graham also served as President of the Institute of Modern Art and as a Councillor of the Queensland Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. He was awarded Fellowship of the RAIA in 2017.
Over the decades, Graham had accumulated a great deal of information about Brisbane’s architecture. There were very few publications about the subject. In 1988 Graham published Architecture in Brisbane. After so much development in Brisbane after 1988, Graham published a second volume in 2012 titled Architecture and Urban Design in Brisbane. This second volume included examples of urban design in addition to architecture and also included a chapter on hospitals and the development of Southbank.
- Writers:
-
rayned
Michael Bogle
- Date written:
- 2021
- Last updated:
- 2021
