HOUSES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
By A. R. L. Wright, Licentiate R.I.B.A., President of W.A. 
Institute of Architects. 
( Bead 11///. March, 1919.) 
The subject of this paper is of a different character from those 
subjects usually discussed in lectures of this Society. It is, how- 
ever, a very important one, as the health of the community is so 
largely dependent upon satisfactory housing conditions. Moreover, 
since we all live in houses, it is a subject of general interest: the 
layman as well as the architect can discover inconveniences or other 
faults of the house he occupies, or he has ideas of what a house 
should be to suit his particular views. 
Speaking generally, houses must be well situated, pleasant to 
look upon, healthy to live in, and carefully studied in their arrange- 
ments, whilst at the same time being economically and substantially 
built. To secure these virtues great skill and mature knowledge are 
essential in the designer, probably in a greater degree than is re- 
quired for a more complex: and expensive building. This fact is not 
generally known, and all kinds of people take it upon themselves to 
build houses without the most elementary training for the work, 
whilst any architect of experience has heard enough opinions from 
so-called practical people to make an expert of him. It is a popular 
idea amongst ladies who are interested in houses that an architect 
either never heard of such a thing as a cupboard, or, from natural 
infirmity common to his <dass, has not Sufficient skill to design one. 
It is difficult to remove that impression and from the houses one 
sees in this country [ think the opinion is quite justifiable, and that 
is one of the reasons for the reading of this paper, 
A house may be a mansion, a villa, or a cottage, but whatever 
it is, it should be of a design adapted to the local climate and cir- 
cumstances, and of materials readily obtainable in the neighbour- 
hood. 
On this vast continent, extending through many latitudes, with 
varied climates, soil, and local building materials, we require many 
different types of dwellings. A house for Perth is not suitable for 
Carnarvon, nor is a country house at Kojonup right for Kimberley. 
The requirements are entirely different both for climate and ma- 
terial. 
In Spain and Italy the houses differ materially from those in 
England in style and arrangement, and they are not interchangeable. 
Yet in Australia one builds houses in semi-tropical parts almost fit 
for an English town. As far as circumstances go, the canvas shanty 
