McGlashan Everist
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architecture |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | David McGlashan, Neil Everist |
| Fate | Merged in 2022 to form PMDL-McGlashan Everist (PMDL-MEA) |
| Headquarters | Geelong , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Architectural and planning solutions |
| Website | www |
McGlashan Everist is a prominent architectural practice from Australia, established in 1955 by David McGlashan and Neil Everist. The firm became renowned for its distinctive low-profile residences characterized by flat roofs and expansive timber-framed windows. The original partnership concluded its final project in 1976. Since then, the company has shifted its focus predominantly toward educational architecture and, in 2022, merged with a large international firm to operate under the name PMDL-McGlashan Everist (PMDL-MEA). Today, it continues to deliver architectural and planning solutions throughout Geelong and across Australia.
History
David McGlashan (1927–1998) and Neil Everist (1929–2016) first crossed paths as architecture students at the University of Melbourne before founding McGlashan and Everist in Melbourne in 1955. The practice initially concentrated on residential architecture but broadened its scope to include commercial projects by the late 1960s. It garnered notable accolades such as the Victorian Architecture Medal in 1963 for Grimwade House and the Victorian Chapter Bronze Medal in 1968 for Heide II. Operating under the name McGlashan Everist, the firm’s last residential design by the founding duo was Mylius House II, completed in 1976.
Design
The firm’s hallmark was houses with low horizontal profiles featuring flat roofs that stepped down sloping terrain, paired with tall timber-framed windows that remained fixed. Ventilation was achieved through elements like flywire screens, glazed doors, and slim clerestory windows positioned just beneath the ceiling line. Interiors favored open-plan layouts with minimal internal divisions, while exterior shading was provided by timber-battened eaves and pergolas designed to block summer sun. Drawing inspiration from global architectural movements, McGlashan and Everist emphasized designs that responded sensitively to their Australian settings, striving for architectural solutions with enduring appeal.
Grimwade House
Conceived by David McGlashan and Neil Everist, Grimwade House was constructed between 1961 and 1962 for Geoffrey Holt Grimwade and his family as a retirement and holiday residence on a spacious bushland site in Rye, Victoria. The design features five flat-roofed pavilions interconnected by covered walkways that form protected outdoor courtyards. The L-shaped primary residence includes bedrooms and living spaces arranged around a large terrace facing northeast.
The house incorporates sliding doors and movable screens to adapt interior spaces based on weather conditions and family requirements, drawing clear influence from traditional Japanese architecture. Materials utilized include terracotta tile flooring, western red cedar cladding, cream-colored Vermiculite ceilings chosen for acoustic qualities, and limestone sourced directly from the property. Much of the original furniture was also designed by McGlashan.
After winning the Victorian Architecture Medal in 1963, Grimwade House was featured in Architecture in Australia in 1964. This acclaim led to additional commissions such as the Reed family residence at Aspendale and Heide II. Although Geoffrey Grimwade passed away before fully utilizing the home as intended, ownership remains within the Grimwade family.
Heide II, Museum of Modern Art
Commissioned by John and Sunday Reed in 1963 and designed by David McGlashan, Heide II currently functions as part of the Heide Museum of Modern Art exhibition facilities. The Reeds desired a home that embodied both romance and timelessness while serving as a practical living gallery.
Located alongside the Yarra River, an area rich in artistic heritage, McGlashan’s design sought to merge art seamlessly with the natural environment. He approached the building as an abstract piece of art itself, employing dynamically arranged walls to blur boundaries between interior spaces and the garden outside—fulfilling the Reeds’ wish for walls that extend into outdoor areas.
The architectural layout directs movement through carefully framed vistas and spatial divisions that clearly differentiate between nature, art, and built form. Completed in 1967, Heide received the RAIA Bronze Medal for Best Building in Victoria (1968) and is widely regarded as "Australia’s foremost example of International modernism."
Elliston Estate
In 1971, Merchant Builders Pty Ltd commissioned a group of distinguished domestic architects alongside landscape architect Ellis Stones to design the Elliston Estate.
Awards
Heide II, located in Bulleen for Mr John Reed (presently the Heide Museum of Modern Art)
- Recipient of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects' Victorian Architecture Medal in 1968
Grimwade House, situated in Rye
- Honored with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects' Victorian Architecture Medal in 1963