I think we all need to be open minded about what is good living for each of us. It's been a dream of my husband and I to build a sustainable well designed house that's not too big and not too small that will adapt to our lifestyle into the future. We've owned a 100yr old Queenslander (with its character) and a mini McMansion (that doesn't quite feel like home) and look forward to the day when we can use an architect to build what we want and how we want.

We found the program very informative as we are finalising plans for our solar passive home now. We have designed a modest sized, zincalume clad home for our rural property which is designed to bring the outdoors in and hope it will stand the test of time as well as the Glenn Murcutt home featured on last night's program.

Thought it was a great program with some nice touches of nostalgia traveling down memory lane of the 60's a time I grew up in and was never proud of the architecture that evolved from this period and the decade after with red and blonde brick traggics, I'm a fed/colonial lover even a terrace gives me creative goosebumps, but to be fair to Harry and having done some refurb work on one of his buildings he had an amazing way of creating compact but functional layouts that like the colour kaleidoscope of the 60's seems to be making a comeback. Next time there is an open day of Harry's buildings I encourage you to go a visit them you might be surprisingly impressed if you can be objective.

I really enjoyed this series. Particularly the exuberance of the hope and enthusiasm for the future as expressed by the mid century architects and builders. As well as the belief that everyone deserves good design and uplifting surroundings in which to live. That vision really did seem to get lost during the eighties and nineties. Hopefully, it's present resurgence will be long lived.

Loved it!

I'm a child of the 60s, and have seen so many changes in what we yearn for, and how we get there. I'm currently studying Ethical Cities (Future Learn, online) and for me, the most disturbing thing is the rise of the McMansion (and very bad design), the politics of urbanisation, and how all of this effects our sense of ease, of community and belonging.

I grew up in a Pettit and Sevitt house that my parents built - I remember going to the display homes on a Saturday as they were deciding what to build... So glad I was introduced to good design early on and probably why living in a poorly designed building drives me crazy. A well designed home supports you in your life while a poorly designed home is a constant irritant. While I will likely never be able to commission an architect designed house I am currently working on a basic steel frame house on a rural property to make it as much a delightful 'machine for living' as possible (I am sure my 12 years of growing up in a Pettit and Sevitt home is there influencing what choices I make)

How wonderful Pettit and Sevitt are back in the house building business!

I love Harry Seidler's homes and I always loved Australia Sq tower. I worked nearby when it was being built. Some people loathed it, but I thought it was fabulous. However Blues Point Tower is a travesty and should never have been allowed. Shame!

Yes, Blues Point Tower does look a bit odd stuck out there on it's own. I'm surprised that it was allowed to go up in an area that has no other highrise buildings.
It was a fascinating program. I actually realised that I grew up in a modernist house. If I'd thought about it I would have figured it out for myself, but it was my home and I didn't think anymore than that. It's a shame its not there any more.
The 50's and 60's is my favourite period, especially for furniture, houses, cars, fashion.....

Those Blues Point Tower apartments would be worth millions and the wealthy people who live there must love it, so there's not much chance of it ever being demolished. To me it looks like public housing from a bygone era. If it was public housing it would have been long since removed.

Fabulous show, and I often feel the sentiments of the Tim Rosso, when driving around the outer suburbs of Perth.. how did we go so wrong when we had it so right? Definitely a time for a rethink in the way our homes are designed and built, and to be fair, many architects and builders are taking the lessons of the past on board and striving to take a more sustainable and energy passive approach to buildings they are designing now. Even some of the local councils are getting on board. Vic park council has now approved two developments for the 'Green Swing' villages and its definitely a big step forward. http://thegreenswing.net/

My nephew has recently built in Iluka, about 500m from where the footage was shot. Lovely, house in what will be a lovely street but the place seems soulless. No place for trees in the yards, or on the verge. The local park is manicured to with-in an inch of its characterless life and would not entice any self-respecting kid to adventure onto the perfect lawn.

Every house has been designed to face west to catch a glimpse of the flat line dividing the blue of the water from the blue of the sky and therefore catches the late afternoon heat. But then again, probably better than living in a 50s block of Council flats in Glascow where his mother was from.

It was great to see a show that highlighted that good design is so important, and that good design doesn't necessarily mean bigger. I was also interested to see the egalitarian way design was shared with the 'masses' through project homes and DIY plans. A peculiarity of Australia. It seems such a shame that good design is now considered out of reach of most people.

Having engaged an architect to design our renovation, I can understand why people shy away from the fees, however we're now about to embark on a renovation that keeps the best of the old, creates a space that is more contemporary and suited to our lifestyle, and flows so much better! The footprint of the house stays almost the same, so we will have a lovely big backyard. I'm tipping this may be a selling point in the future.

Wouldn't it be great to see volume builders adopt these principles and start to offer better designed multi-functional spaces. Smaller houses are less expensive to run. So excited to see Pettit and Sevitt. I'd love to see Merchant Builders back in Melbourne, they were big on the entire concept, working with a hero of mine, Landscape Designer Ellis Stones. Oh to dream.....