Jefa Greenaway is one of what he estimates to be fewer than 20 registered Indigenous architects in Australia. Here’s how he’s working for that to change.
University of Melbourne experts reveal the course being charted by modern Australian university campuses, including the increasing role of Indigenous co-design
Our sustainable future began 60,000 years ago: finally, we’re catching up
We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
Dismiss
By Ray Edgar
Normal text size
Credit:Joseph Mayers
We are on the threshold of a New Australian Design, according to Indigenous designer Alison Page. Writing in a new book,
Design: Building on Country, Page points to “a new awakening fuelled by ecological necessity to redesign our future”. Indigenous culture not only offers the solution but a rich potential for partnership, collaboration and co-design, writes Page, who is perhaps best known for her time on the ABC’s
University campuses are urban cultural institutions inextricably linked to the “making” of cities. They are also sited on unceded First Nations land, in prime locations.
Meaningful attempts to recognise this – and better represent Indigenous culture in the fabric of the campus – have been sporadic dating back to the late 20th century.
Momentum has continued in recent years as architectural, landscape and urban designers have experienced an awakening to Indigenous knowledge systems, voices and values, and to the importance of following best practice both internationally and domestically.
At the symposium, a Wailwan and Kamilaroi architect and lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Jefa Greenaway, stated: