Uses of the Vernacular in the Design of Indigenous Housing

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the mid-twentieth century, architecture and planning were well established as tools of assimilation that segregated Aboriginal people from their lands, their culture and social structures. Coordinated efforts to design more culturally appropriate housing for Aboriginal people began in the early 1970s after the media, academics and Indigenous activism of the 1960s raised national awareness about the poor state of Aboriginal housing. The housing deficit was a major challenge but, additionally, what was an appropriate house for people with diverse cultural backgrounds and limited experience of conventional housing? Established by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1972, the Aboriginal Housing Panel sought answers to this question. This paper examines the relationship between the design of Indigenous housing in the 1970s and the re-evaluation of vernacular buildings and settlements. Using archival evidence from the period the paper analyses the influence of the Indigenous building traditions on housing design and architectural research. The use of ethnographic methods and data in developing new housing types helped to establish a distinctive approach to cross-cultural design.