Muir and Shepherd

Waller estate floor plan

John Muir was to bring this important project to the newly formed practice.[2] Work on the Waller estate was to last for over a decade, with their Ballarat office servicing the development of this ongoing project. Australia experienced severe housing shortages after World War II. Private housing developments were to become common at this time, and were to profoundly change the pattern of Australian residential development. The Waller estate is said to represent the first and most intact example of housing development built by a private consortium in Ballarat. John Muir and the practice of Muir and Shepherd are attributed to the design of the majority of the houses built by the Waller syndicate within this estate.[4] To create architectural diversity throughout the development Muir was commissioned to design a variety of domestic types. It has been noted that in a number of the firms designs that although the front elevations were similar, the plans differed. Described as post-war suburban, most of these houses were brick veneer in construction with terracotta roof tiles with small front porches and windows that wrap around corners. This estate was developed by the Waller consortium until 1961.[4]

Throughout the 1950s both professional and popular journals promoted breaking from traditional housing designs and interior schemes and moving toward a modern style. A few of Muir and Shepherd's residential works featured in popular Australian housing journals of the 1950s as follows. Trends observed through these journals include: the progression of the firm’s designs towards a more modern style, more open-plan designs, more in-built furniture and fittings.

Henderson residence exterior

Henderson residence interior

This Ballarat residence is described as, ‘contemporary in feeling without any particularly bold features... well adapted for modern living’.[5] The Henderson’s appear to have valued the role of an architect in the design of their house. This single storey brick residence was orientated on a narrow block for winter solar access. The front façade contains a window that wraps around the corner, and the slight angle of the plan begins to reveal the main entrance through the terrace. The gallery/sun-room that faces the terrace forms the hub of the house. The interior colours are stated to be soft pastels, however the journal speaks of the owners’ desire to experiment with bolder colours.[5]

This Brighton residence has a very similar plan to the earlier Henderson residence with a central terrace, entrance and sunroom. Designed for an average-sized allotment this house was described as possessing a ‘remarkable degree of comfort, spaciousness and beauty’ with garden spaces for outdoor living.[6] In this residence Muir and Shepherd used a change in level to differentiate between lounge and dining spaces. The transition between outside and inside was also more expressed. This design included considerably more built-in furniture and fittings than the previous residence.

Exterior, 1953

Interior, 1953

This Balwyn North residence was described as a ‘modified contemporary home... which combines the good ideas in modern architecture with the softer finish of the traditional’.[7] The overall form reflects the past colonial Australian homestead with gabled roof and long, broad and low verandas. This dwelling also presents a central entry into the key living spaces and a sunroom. The north façade that faces the street is completely glazed with floor to ceiling sliding glass panels that overlook the stone terrace from the living room. The plan is modern in form with living spaces moving toward an open plan style, and more built in furniture.

Exterior, 2014

Exterior, 2014

Floor plan

The Funeral Parlour for WG Apps & Sons in St Kilda, now demolished, was the first purpose built post-war funeral building in Victoria. The building, designed in 1953, was minimalist in form made from cream brick with simple white pilotis.[2][3]