Environmental architecture supports plant conservation

PlantBank, a world class plant conservation centre currently under construction at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, will receive vital funding support through a masterpiece of environmental architecture created by pioneer Bill Lucas.

In the 1950s, Bill Lucas broke new ground in design standards by embracing nature. Perhaps most well known for the homes Mr Lucas (1924-2001) designed along the Bulwark in Castlecrag, the sales fee from 78 The Bulwark will go towards protecting Australia�s threatened native plant species.

Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust is delighted with the community�s support of PlantBank, and in this case, the generosity Modern House Director Marcus Lloyd-Jones, who will donate his sales fee from the property.

PlantBank has been generously supported by the NSW Government and individuals, businesses, clubs and now a member of the real estate industry. It�s good to see such community interest and passion for PlantBank.

The Trust hopes that the donation from this property is the first of many contributions that real estate agents and home owners make to ensure Australia�s plant life is safeguarded for generations to come.

Marcus Lloyd-Jones, Director of Modern House is proud to be supporting such a critical project.

�It�s an extraordinary fact that up to 50 per cent of the world�s plant species are at risk of extinction and 10 per cent in Australia are already listed as threatened,' Mr Lloyd-Jones said. �We promote the importance of architects but we should never forget that Mother Nature is the most important architect of all. It is wonderful to know that Bill Lucas�s environmentally conscious architecture of the past will help protect our environment for the future.�

Architectural photographer and great-nephew of Bill Lucas, Blake Brockdorff, said his uncle broke through architectural design standards in Australia around 1957 with the �Glass House� on the Bulwark.

�Building a house without affecting the immediate and surrounding landscape, without removing trees, allowing natural water flow down the slope - this �green� and non-invasive design approach was unseen in Australia during that era,� Mr Brockdorff said.

Bill and his wife Ruth continued to design houses along the Bulwark with similar environmental consciousness, designed to fit and mould with the landscape. 78 the Bulwark is one of these houses. Mr Brockdorff photographed 78 the Bulwark, and plans to use these images as a part of an environmentally sustainable design archive across Australian design.

On sale now, the property can be viewed at www.modernhouse.co. High resolution photographs of the property taken by Blake Brockdorff are available on from ArchiShot blake@archishot.com.au.

PlantBank concept designs by BVN Architecture

Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

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Environmental architecture supports plant conservation