Dwelling in the landscape: from Blairgowrie House to Portsea Palace

Ackerman begins his book "The Villa" (1995) with these words: 'A villa is a building in the country designed for its owner's enjoyment and relaxation .... [it] accommodates a fantasy which is impervious to reality.' He concludes: , ... the country, in exacting confrontations with the immanent brute forces and sensuous enchantments of nature, prompts inspired responses.' Blairgowrie House - the villa in the landscape - was built in the 1870s and the 'Portsea Palace' - a personal club med resort - in the late 1990s. The notion of an inspired response and the concept of dwelling poetically are manifestly absent in the Portsea Palace. Why?<br /><br />This paper explores architecture and landscape - particularly 'domestic' architecture and coastal landscapes in Victoria's Nepean Peninsula. It looks closely at what architects mean when they say their design reflects place, relates to site, is climate specific, is close to nature, responds to the landscape, and/or is sensitive to the environment. Exemplars from different centuries are examined in their philosophical contexts and frames of reference. The complexities of the notion of place and identity, belonging, and dwelling (in the Heideggerian sense) are examined to identify the shift that has occurred over time as science and technology have ostensibly freed 'modern man' from 'a direct dependence on places' (Norberg Schultz). The alienation and loss that has eventuated - for humans and for the environment - will be critically analysed and assessed.<br />