From Castlecrag to Clifton Gardens, Pymble to Avalon, Visionaries in Suburbia presents for the first time the entire range of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin’s Sydney residential designs in the 1920s and 30s. Richly illustrated and with essays by heritage specialists and Griffin home owners, the book reveals new research on some of the lesser-known houses, such as the Pratten and van der Ley residences and a range of unbuilt projects, as well as fresh perspectives on the Castlecrag estate and its unique planning and community concepts.

Not just an architectural survey, Visionaries also explores the Griffins’ holistic vision – the environmental, social and spiritual ideals underpinning their integrated design and landscape philosophy. The book concludes with a chapter on the Griffins’ legacy, the heritage significance of their houses and the relevance of their ideologies today.

Visionaries in Suburbia is illustrated with 270 colour and black and white images – many full-page – including photographs by Max Dupain, Mati Maldre and Eric Sierins, as well as Griffin office drawings and photographs from the Eric Nicholls collection in the National Library and Marion’s incomparable presentation renderings. Contributing an exciting new dimension to our understanding of the Griffins’ milieu are more than 40 previously unpublished photographs of life in Castlecrag from the recently discovered archive of Hermann Junge, a representative for Leica Cameras and a Castlecrag resident in the late 1920s and early 30s.

Coordinating Editors: Dr Anne Watson and Adrienne Kabos

Price: $59.95 available in good bookstores and online at:

http://www.manic.com.au/Visionaries-in-Suburbia-Griffin-Houses-in-the-Sydney-Landscape.html