Hugh Buhrich

German-born architect Hugh Buhrich came to Australia as a refugee from Nazi Germany. Settling in Sydney, he worked initially as a draughtsman, then as designer, eventually becoming an architect to a wide range of clients working from his lower North Shore practice. Buhrich was a rational modernist. He was inventive and a precision craftsman, clothing functionalism in clean lines and occasional strong colour.

His work encapsulates a crucial period in the development of design in Australia, and has recently received a great deal of critical acclaim. His own home, built in Castlecrag between 1968 and 1972, has been described as "a truly radical building" (Françoise Fromonot) and "the finest modern house in Australia" (Peter Myers).

Buhrich's residential plans

Buhrich's eclectic work mostly included domestic properties. His designs ranged from furniture to complete interiors or entire projects, and reveal his skill at employing a range of design solutions, from hard modern through to the more conventionally domestic.

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ca. 1940-1988
Hugh Buhrich
Call # PXD 970
Digital ID:
a1421001
View collection item detail

Buhrich's commercial plans

From 1941 onwards Hugh Buhrich's work diversified to include some small scale commercial projects, including shops, agencies and bus shelters. His designs were inventive and he often accentuated elements through clean lines and strong colour.

Buhrich's scrap album

Hugh Buhrich’s personal scrap album contains newsclippings and published articles on a variety of his residential and commercial projects during the 1940s and 1950s. These projects ranged from a weekend home at Bayview to a Cremorne synagogue; from interiors for a modern Sydney milk bar to a frock shop in Leichhardt.

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1941-1959
Hugh Buhrich
Call # PXD 1012
Digital ID:
a1928003
View collection item detail

>View the full collection in the Library's catalogue

Buhrich's presentation boards

These presentation boards feature large drawings and photographs (some of which are by celebrated photographer Max Dupain) showcasing Buhrich’s residential projects in the Sydney suburbs of Castlecrag, Northbridge and Bayview during the 1940s and 1950s.