An Architectural Wake Up Call
An Architectural Wake Up Call
“I’m out on a Saturday night. I’ve just woken up after consuming too much red wine. I look around and think where am I? Polished timber floors spread under my feet, there’s the typically white pristine kitchen with a glass splashback and I’m thinking where am I? They all look the same!” I glance at respected Seddon Architect, Irena Lobaza quizzically after her statement and was just about to ask in the usual gullible manner about more details regarding her wild night. However, she quickly takes note of my facial expression and confirms that this is not reality but a recurring nightmare where she feels suffocated by the commonality of buildings. “What I’m getting out is that it’s so nice to break away from the typical formula,” she explains with a laugh as she sits inside her architectural practice, Basset Lobaza Architects.
Right in the upbeat pulse of Seddon’s cafe strip, Irena’s business which she shares with Hugh Basset stands as a contemporary work of office art. Once inside, the open plan layout is rowed with a series of friendly employees and at the front of the pack sits the loveable Greyhound, Gilbert. When speaking with Irena, she talks about architecture with such passion and she’s clearly a deep creative thinker. “When you go out for dinner, you tend to go somewhere that’s a bit bashed. You often enter a room where the walls are dark, however we don’t create those spaces at home. I think you need a mixture of light and dark – you can do both.”
In Irena’s period home or as she puts it in her terms, “A Rambling Edwardian,” her favourite area in the house is not a stereotypically north facing entertaining alfresco area but a living area which is completely blackened by darkness. “However, I also enjoy north light too on occasions. What I like about my house is the 1100m2 of land, a lovely big backyard, flowers and space. The house accommodates having other people in it and at the moment I am hosting for my 20th rotary exchange student.”
While I may have jumped to the conclusion that Hugh Basset was her husband based on the architectural practice name (Basset Lobaza), she confirms that he is her business partner and my mistake is commonplace. “When I was pregnant with my two daughters and son who are now all in their early 20’s, you should have seen the number of cards I received which were addressed to Hugh and I rather than my husband! My husband is a dentist and when you look into our architectural styles, it’s evident that I may have married the wrong man! He is a traditionalist and so in my work when I do something modern my husband isn’t that interested as he really prefers period classics.”
The nautical suburb of Williamstown which is dotted with historical period beauties also naturally comes into conversation. Irena believes the suburb remains beautifully untouched due to the success of the heritage overlay. “My favourite architectural building in the Inner West is in Williamstown and it’s the new library. The building has a lovely mix of bluestone, it is modern but respectful and very well scaled. The architect did an excellent job.”
Too often in real estate, we look at the future potential of existing buildings and point the way forward for our prospective clients but where is the direction of architecture really going further down the line? “We’re an ageing population and people are living longer. We need to be designing more houses for two families to live in but people are resistant to it. Your folks live to 80 or 90 and I think we need to accommodate them. Robots such as drones are coming in so that will change the way we’re operating. One day we will be remotely building something from Hong Kong to Australia for example. This is destined for the future and it’s exciting.”
Creative thinker, Irena Lobaza stands outside her business, Basset Lobaza Architects.
