Glenn to talk in Zagreb @ 5.30pm April 4th

I am amazed at the spread of cultures who are tracking the blog. Thank you, there are some 40 people reading the tales of Moonlight every day.

I was contacted last week by Aleksandar Predojevic last week to ask me to post the above public lecture in Zagreb next week. So here are the details and location of Glenn's lecture next week.

Mr. Murcutt will have lecture on April 4 at 5.30 p.m.in cinema Europa, Varsavska street 3, Zagreb. The lecture is free for public, but seats are limited. After lecture Mr. Murcut will open exhibition "Walsh House" in House of Croatian Artists at 8.p.m.

Opportunity to work with a team building a Murcutt/Lewin House

Work is proposed to start on the second identical Murcutt/Lewin house in April of this year. There is the opportunity for someone to assist the team physically building the house if they are interested

You would need to demonstrate eligiblity to enter Australia. It would suit a self starter, gap year, final year or first year post qualified Architectural student.

If you are intersted then please e-mail me with your cv via this blog also telling me why you want to assist building a Murcutt/Lewin and what you would expect to realise professionally and personally from this opportunity.

Applications required by April 22nd 2007.

Any Questions from anyone?

Eastern Flank

What have we learnt?

The most effecient piece of advice that I could have given which is counter to everything you feel when you have so long to start a programme like this is wait.

In this instance sit with the builder for 4-5 months till you have every drawing and detail, then ask yourself the question with your builder what is the effecient way of building this form?

This building will have taken almost 11 months to have put up, discussions on the next building is that it will take upto 7 months. What is different about the process?

Well experience and knowledge of the approach taken by the Architects in the process and sequencing required to put together a building of this type. I have no idea if the process is within reason a random walk for other other types of buildings but for Moonlight as the form got closer to completion the sequencing of works becomes critical and interpendant upon each other. By this I mean not the installation of services etc but the actual build process as details intersect with the building, for example. The steel windows where hung but we could go no further till the window frames are in, the fly screens attached and the shutters built and all set on there tracks, as the revel is anged and until all these items are in place we cannot begin to line the internal and start plastering and to continue the journey. As their are skirtings and facings all these pieces are critical to ensuring that we get the look right.


So for the next one what is the likely process? Put the slab down, lay the backing bricks to bring the building upto level. Then erect every piece of steel and weld it all into place in one go. This is all the columns, the sub structure, the ring of steel round the top, the entry dors and and doors onto the courtyard, the windows along the eastern flank, the roof rafters and the 3.5 tonne window frame attached to the master bedroom. Phew some 27 tonnes of steel bolted and welded into place on 2 weeks as opposed to a 8 month piecemeal approach. Now lets the bricks laid and the internals started and the roof on. Wow a lot better. So is 7 months feasible for the next house,yes I certainly believe so based on what I have gone through over the last year.

Of course this journey though will benefit the building of the hotel substantially as we have experience and knowledge.

Are we finished yet?

Almost. just a few more weeks................ Will the other four be this difficult? Now we now have a appreciation of what it takes to build a Murcutt/Lewin building.