Renato D’Ettorre is an architect par excellence. He has changed the face of residential architecture in Australia and his designs are inspiring, timeless and breathtakingly beautiful.
D’Ettorre was born in the Abruzzo region of Italy in a small village, but from there he has climbed the heights of architecture in Australia and beyond – and hasn’t stopped making his voice heard. Growing up in an agrarian Italian village, D’Ettorre enjoyed a childhood that was filled with natural wonder, pristine landscapes, birds, trees, natural springs and country delights. Design, as such, wasn’t something integral to him or his family; rather, the natural world presented many opportunities to study his environment and engendered a great love of water – in springs and rivers, and in investigating its flow and form.
His formative years were spent with family and community. It was a three-dimensional world that included the town piazza and church, where home-made toys were the norm, as was a healthy lifestyle. However, when he was seven this was to change, and things were never to be the same again. D’Ettorre senior left his village for Australia and travelled extensively to find work. Missing Italy though, he journeyed home only to make the decision to return to Australia again, but this time with family. There was the boat trip to Australia through the Suez Canal, and the sights and sounds intrigued the seven-year-old Renato and added more visual memories to those of his village life.
Soon, the family arrived in Australia and D’Ettorre was at school. Studying architecture was not a consideration (there was a moment when becoming a pilot was an idea) but he was passionate about drawing and excelled at it.
Fortuitously, a new building was being constructed at his school and this was something that he found fascinating – so much so that he decided to study architecture. He enrolled at UNSW but, with no part time course offered, he instead enrolled at UTS where he could work as well as study.
In his second year he decided to ask Harry Seidler for a job, having seen the renowned architect on television years before; taking his sketches and watercolours with him, he approached the great man for a position. To his surprise, he was accepted and D’Ettorre stayed there for the next five years. There were two occasions when D’Ettorre took time off from his studies and these proved to be definitive moments in his formative thinking that established art, architecture and culture as major influences on his future work.
The first was to take a year’s sabbatical and travel to Rome, with an introduction in hand from Seidler to the great architect Pier Luigi Nervi. Known as both an architect and an engineer, Nervi’s work with concrete and steel-reinforced concrete columns and beams was globally recognised. Attaining a position at the practice, D’Ettorre thrived and grew as he learned from the master. He also walked the streets of Rome soaking up the history and culture of the city.
The second occasion that was to leave a lasting impression was in his fourth year of study. Seidler needed someone to oversee material that was to come from Italy for the Sydney Grosvenor Place office tower. The material was granite and D’Ettorre was offered the opportunity to spend a year in Sardinia to oversee the selection of the granite from the quarry and its despatch to Australia. This was the chance of a lifetime, living in Porto Cervo where the jet set holidayed in luxury villas and partied on their super yachts. Life was filled with sailing on the archipelago, architecture and visiting ancient Nuraghe sites, with time to enjoy them all.
After graduation in 1986, the 30-year-old architect obtained a position at DCM and here he was the project architect for the west wing exhibition of the Sydney Powerhouse Museum. After two years he moved to Mitchell Giurgola & Thorpe Architects and worked on more commercial projects. However, a fine commission from his brother-in-law and sister to build a house was the incentive to fully immerse himself in residential architecture on his terms.
This was the project he had been waiting to receive – there were no restrictions and he was given a free hand to design what he wanted. Some years before, he had been offered a chance to create an interior for a home for a wealthy Sydney businessman and, although he did not receive the commission, it stood him good stead for this project.
And so, for four years D’Ettorre worked on South Coogee House creating architecture that had not been seen before in Australia. South Coogee House was built of concrete with vaulted brick ceilings, roof terraces, stairs and curves, travertine marble, columns and corridors, Venetian stucco and hand-crafted details.
The young architect came to understand concrete form work and collaborated closely with the Spanish formwork contractor to ensure the project progressed as it should. He designed the integrated custom lighting, included brass door frames and interior elements and worked out a manufacturing concept for custom-made stainless steel windows and doors. All these materials and interpretations were new to an Australian public as well as local architects, and the house was – and still is – spectacular. Completed in 1994, South Coogee House is a timeless design and a milestone of residential architecture to this day.
While this house was groundbreaking, it was not understood at the time and the commissions did not flow into the practice. It was not until the home was featured in a fashion photoshoot for Harper’s Bazaar that change happened. There was editorial in Australian Design Review, and inclusion in a book titled New Australia Style by photographer John Gollings AM and George Michel.
From this recognition, D’Ettorre received his first commission as an architect and the fledgling practice was up and running. His client asked D’Ettorre to design two homes on Hamilton Island followed by an apartment at Circular Quay, a holiday ‘shack’ on a remote tropical island and then a private residence in Connecticut, USA. In all, there were ten years of producing architecture for a patron who understood D’Ettorre’s vision and architectural purpose that progressed the architect’s career.
Since then, there have been many houses and many more awards. For example, GB House, Italianate House, K House, Woollahra Terraces, Link House and Courtyard House to name but a few. At the moment, commissions include an addition to expand the practice’s Darlinghurst Studio, as well as Gerroa Beach House and a Semi-Detached Transformation.
Renato D’Ettorre is a master practitioner and has helped shape Australian residential architecture as we know it today. With all the substance he brings to his work and the accolades he receives, it is heartening to know that he is simply a lovely human being too – smart, funny, humble and incredibly talented. With his love of nature, memories of his village, the architecture and art of Italy and having his own clear vision of architecture, Renato D’Ettorre has shaped architecture in Australia and is certainly an icon of our time.
