Paul Couch, Field Studies

'For decades, Paul Couch's work has been the stuff of mystery, even legend, never making it to standard accounts of Australian architecture ¿ Yet the works deserve to be known. They are humbly heroic, structurally forthright, and materially unrepentant ¿ This is an architecture of just enough.' - Philip Goad, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Chair of Architecture, The University of Melbourne Paul Couch has long been an elusive figure in Australian architecture. For over six decades he has busied himself creating substantial works, rarely stopping to document his achievements, nor to speak of them in public. As a result, his built works have gone largely unrecognised. Paul Couch, Field Studies seeks to redress this, introducing readers, for the first time in print, to one of Australia's most significant and enduring architects. The book focuses on four major residential projects spanning the breadth of Couch's career, from his own family home in 1975, to the Kew House completed in 2019. Each of the four projects is represented by Couch's original hand drawings, a written essay and a photo essay. In addition, accompanying extracts from a series of interviews introduce the reader to Couch's voice, distilling the ideas, images, memories and dreams that animate his aspirations for architecture. The book includes a foreword by esteemed author and architectural historian Philip Goad, an essay by international architectural theorist Juhani Pallasmaa, a photo essay exploring the influence of local rock formations on Couch's architecture, and a brief meditation on concrete by the architect himself. All of this is brought together in an exquisitely presented hardcover book, designed by multi-award winning book designer, Stuart Geddes.