The residential design legacy of R.P. Froud

Ferguson, Susan. (2001). The residential design legacy of R.P. Froud B.A. Thesis, School of Geography, Planning and Architecture, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Ferguson, Susan.
Thesis Title The residential design legacy of R.P. Froud
School, Centre or Institute School of Geography, Planning and Architecture
Institution The University of Queensland
Publication date 2001
Thesis type B.A. Thesis
Total pages 186
Language eng
Subjects 310000 Architecture, Urban Environment and Building
Formatted abstract This thesis documents the life and career of Robert Percival Froud, whose relationship with the architectural profession in Brisbane spans sixty years.

Froud is perhaps best well known for "Torbreck', Brisbane's first "home unit development" designed in partnership with Aubrey H.Job in 1957.

The study concludes that, although atypical to Froud's career and clientele, Torbreck embodies everything that he had always considered important in the design of the "one-off 'house.

The study identifies a significant personal archive. The archive contains in excess of 500 "one-off" residential commissions undertaken by the architect to date.

(As of November 2001, this archive is held at the John Oxley Special Collections, as part of the Queensland State Library.)

This thesis presents a chronological discussion and case study analysis of a selection of Froud's work, then made available through Froud's personal archive and that held by Fulton, Gilmour, Trotter, Moss Architects and Thomson Adsett and Partners.

Interviews were held to reveal the issues and attitudes that underpin his work as an architect. This is presented as a chronological discussion.

Throughout his practicing life, Robert Froud aspired to apply a pallette of ideas that are a consequence of his architectural education.

Robert Froud was one of the first graduates of the diploma course in architecture at the University of Queensland. When Robert Froud commenced university studies, he had recently graduated from the Diploma course in Architecture at the Queensland Technical College and spent four years as articled student in the office of Mervyn H.Rylance.

During the war years apart from a brief period of army service he worked for the Brisbane City Council when Frank Costello was city architect and later with Axon and Basset Engineers and in the immediate post war period in the Commonwealth Department of Labour and National Service. It was there that he met Aubrey Job and Charles Fulton. Upon release from this department soon after the war, he commenced practice with both of these men.

Froud completed his education at the University of Queensland and was profoundly influenced by the teachings of Karl Langer.

All of these Brisbane identities were influential to Froud and consolidated an early attitude to design and building that he would apply thereafter.

Case study analysis demonstrates that Froud aspired to a "softer version" of modernism. Froud admired the work of William Wilson Wurster, an advocate of "livibility" and reticence in architecture. Froud continued to apply this attitude in his work in conjunction with the planning initiatives encouraged by Langer.

This document includes a drawing appendix, nominated by Froud that best represents exemplar projects, as a profile of his life's work.

Keyword Froud, Robert Percival, 1920-2001
Biography
Architecture -- Queensland

 
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Created: Mon, 11 Jul 2011, 13:57:33 EST by Ning Jing on behalf of The University of Queensland Library