Architect Ed Lippmann’s career has not yet topped out, but he has decided now is the time to review the underpinnings of his exemplary career of forty years in a surprisingly delightful book, 40 Years of Architecture.

I say surprisingly because books regarding architecture are by their very nature rather cut and dried, often weighed down with convoluted vernacular and scholarly reference.

As enjoyable as these may be (for some), that is not what Lippmann has created. While his work may be the show, he has allowed us to see behind the curtain, revealing in often amusing detail how the show got on the road.

“I was trying to make it more accessible to people who might not be interested in the technical aspects of architecture,” says Lippmann from his Sydney studio.” I was hoping it would appeal to a broader audience, which is why I describe the project as anecdotal.”

Delivered in two sections, the first is a Q & A cum interview between Professor Anthony Bourke and Lippmann. This interview section offers the overview, the general influences, on the architect and the man.

For those currently rearing kids, there is a lot to be learned here about the importance and long term value of exploring the world together. He recalls influential time spent with his father and mother:

“We often went to look at new buildings. We visited Christo’s installation at Little Bay, when he came to Sydney to wrap the rocks! But the big break came when I was 15 years old and my mother took me on a trip around the world. New York was overwhelming and I met my Uncle Jordan for the first time. He was a photographer and took me to a Diane Arbus exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.”

It’s an intriguing layout of questions, answers and personal black and white images that lead the reader on a journey of growth and revelation.

Now is a perfect point to give credit to the look of this very well designed tome to Carlo Giannasca from Frost*collective whose input is very much appreciated by Lippmann, and the reader.

Above: Ed Lippmann / Supplied.

The response of the young architect to landing a job at the celebrated Marcel Breuer’s office on Madison Avenue is a sheer delight, which makes fun reading, architect or not.

Although visited again in the second part of the book, it is here where Lippmann looks at influences on major works, such as, in a roundabout way, the Mies van de Rohe influence on Lippmann’s harbourside Andrew “Boy” Charlton Pool project.

Section two of 40 Years of Architecture is laid out project-by-project, but is still very personal and the first-person narrative is compelling in its story telling. Residential projects include designing his first home, Lippmann House 1, (he rather emotionally uses the renovation of his current home as the final chapter) to commercial projects and public buildings such as the King George V Recreation Centre.

Above: 8 Chifley Square / Supplied.

“I relished the chance to design a public building and to work with a local council and not against one. I was comfortable with the increased scale and humbled by the responsibility of contributing to the most sensitive historic fabric in Sydney. By 1996, designing a modern building in a conservation area was something I had strong views on and experience with.”

However, the project attracted some negative publicity, and Lippmann again regales us with what it took to keep his vision, his project, unscathed.

“It was referred to by the press as a “Beached Whale on the Rocks”. Rolf Ockert and I turned up for a site meeting one day to find a suited gentleman standing in the driveway staring incredulously at the arched roof under construction. After almost running him over, Ockert asked me who the man standing in the driveway was. I told him it was the Lord Mayor and jumped out of the car to introduce myself, apologising for almost running him over.”

The tale, as we all know, has a happy ending, but it is this detail that makes the book so very enjoyable.

“It hasn’t been a red-carpet tide”, insists Lippmann, “not by any means.”

The Butterfly House, an iconic home in Sydney’s blue ribbon Dover Heights, is tracked from an unexpected call from a potential client claiming ‘money is no object’, (a sort of phone call of which the rest of us can only dream) to their desire to have a home with no straight lines. To see the very early preliminary sketches, and the remarkable vision came to life, along with details of the unfolding events, is perhaps my favourite anecdote.

But the most astounding is the full story of the monumental achievement of 8 Chifley Square. How easy it would have been to let the facts and figures tell this story – but Lippmann brings the property to life, in more ways than one.

“For my little practice that was a huge project,” recalls Lippmann, in his now familiar light hearted way.

Above: Butterfly House / Supplied.

He is quick to emphasise that his projects are not that of just one man, and wherever he can he includes reference to the many other practices and individuals who have contributed so much to a remarkable portfolio of work. As tremendous as the Chifley project was, it is a very well-known and recognizable building – this new book lets us see the lesser known, less public successes.

Ed Lippmann is a delightful person to spend time with, his humour and easy going nature shine through in this, as he calls it, ‘cathartic’ work. But it doesn’t stop there. His practice thrives, with a young group of architects on board, and Lippmann’s never ending curiosity of what comes next seemingly inexhaustible.

This book is far from being a manifesto; it is the recollection of adventures in the world of architecture, design and strength through conviction. In that way, the book has a relevance to more than the narrow field of architecture, it has a much wider appeal.

For those who appreciate design in any form, for those who enjoy a good yarn, and absolutely for those who admire commitment and drive, this is the one to buy.

All images supplied by Ed Lippmann.

Main image: Butterfly House.

Publisher	Lippmann Partnership, 2025
ISBN	0646725351, 9780646725352

Prue Miller

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