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).