Field Notes

Field Notes gathers thinking about houses and how they answer to place, habit, and time.

It opens up the questions behind the work and the judgements that shape it.

Browse by theme:

Peter Wood 29/10/26 Peter Wood 29/10/26

Imperfection is the Character

A builder mentioned it in passing, while discussing a recently completed project. The client preferred the walls when they weren't plumb and the floors not so level. It stopped me. Not because it was surprising, exactly, but because it named something that usually goes unsaid. A lot of time is spent in old buildings trying to fix the things that time has done to them. Here was someone who had noticed what time had done, and preferred it.

Peter Wood 14/1/26 Peter Wood 14/1/26

A Miner’s Hut Near Home

A replica miner’s hut near my home prompted questions about accuracy, memory, and how early houses are represented today. Looking beyond the image, this reflection considers how provisional huts became houses through occupation and change, and what is lost when that process is flattened into a fixed aesthetic.

Peter Wood 3/1/26 Peter Wood 3/1/26

The Burra Charter and the Life of a Place

The Burra Charter offers guidance for working with Australia’s heritage, but its relevance extends beyond conservation. By understanding place, respecting accumulated values, and adapting carefully, it suggests a way of building that remains attentive to what already exists.