Damien Cresp - Research Booklet - Bower Studio by BowerStudio20

bower studio - semester one, 2020 damien cresp, studio E 586664

begin introduction 04 bower 06 kalkaringi 08 me

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

understanding indigenous australia the dreaming, and other essays you can’t ask that: indigenous australians kartiya are like toyotas working with aboriginal people the australian dream - Adam Goodes ten canoes in my blood it runs dark emu - chapters 1 and 2 rabbit proof fence samson and delilah sand talk - chapter 1 Julia Gillard interviews Marcia Langton

classes and consultations 22 studio w1 - introduction 24 studio w2 - model making 26 studio w3 - arup and documentaries

design 34 karungkarni arts centre design esquisse

pause

warnkurr sports and social club introduction 60 social club and kalk 64 brief

88 90 94 100 106 114 120 126

design development “reverse panopticon” stage and security preliminary planning boundary shading / roof structure arches - modern / traditional seating details freedom day

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design outcome

understanding the social club 66 teaching ‘proper’ drinking 69 Johann Hari, TED Talk classes and consultations 70 studio w4 78 studio w7 - precedent consultation 82 studio w9 - materials talk with James

introduction classes / consultations design research

key

reflections throughout

First class and the Bower/Kalkaringi story Introduction to Bower Studio. Bower Studio is a design studio ran as part of the Masters of Architecture at the Melbourne School of Design within the University of Melbourne. The class is comprised of two facets - one component being the construction of a structure in a remote, typically indigenous community, and the other, is the design of a scheme for construction in that same community. The class aims to teach students how to make real-world design decisions through construction, as well as be able to participate in direct consultation with local people from the site.

prospect of this studio trades nights around the campfire for virtual backgrounds and unfortunately loses the hands-on aspect and shifts to a pragmatic design process with a focus on research development and consultations with community held over Zoom. The task now turns to developing an understanding of the site and clients through conversation, questioning, and testing design ideas in-front of those who have been there in order to develop the architectural responses required.

In semester one 2020, Bower Studio had planned to visit Kalkaringi and build vertical shade structures outside of the community center, but was unable to go due to domestic travel bans caused by the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic. The team was expected to partake in community consultation over the two weeks in order to individually develop one of three briefs: a new family center, a cultural center, and to redevelop the existing Warnkurr Sports and Social Club.

Unable to travel or meet in real life, the

Kalkaringi, Northern Territory Kalkaringi is a town in the Fitzmaurice region of the Northern Territory, and is home to the Gurindji people. It’s an eight hour drive south of Darwin, located on the cusp of where the central desert begins to turn into the subtropical. Kalkaringi, and the nearby town of Daguragu are embedded into the history of indigenous land rights in colonial Australia1. On August 23rd, 1966 Vincent Lingiari lead other Gurindji stockmen, women and children, off the Vestey’s Wave Hill Cattle Station, demanding more than just fair pay and better living conditions, but their people’s land back. This act, coinciding with larger socialist reforms and civil rights movements which were happening worldwide, gained traction and marked a significant turning point not only for the Gurindji people, but for Indigenous Australians as a whole. It is often marked by the famous photograph of Prime Minister at the time, Gough Whitlam, symbolically pouring a handful of sand into Vincent Lingiari’s hand, signifying the relinquishing of land back into Gurindji ownership. The resulting legislation that came out

of the Whitlam-Fraser government (Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory) 1976) saw the Gurindji people reclaim autonomy over the land which belonged to their ancestors. However, due to numerous factors including, ironically, unforseen burdens of unprecedented government support, the period of time that followed was not without its troubles, and, due to financial instability and reliance on government subsidies, would continue to be subject to the inadequacies of broad-strokes government policy wrested upon their township. Despite this, from my research and contact with members of the Kalkaringi community over the semester, the Gurindji story is brimming with recent, and current positive achievements which work toward achieving Gurindji ownership and control of finances of the community. The fact that we are working with community members to inspire projects within the town is a testament to the innovation, adaptability, and perseverance of the ‘gurindji spirit’ and set an aspirational scene for the small community.

Hi, my name is Damien. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a Studio E Masters of Architecture student at unimelb, who is currently working part time at Whiting Architects, a small residential firm located in Collingwood. I was drawn to Bower primarily for the building and detailing elements that the studio offers, as well as being eager to explore a pocket of indigenous Australia, and design for such a harsh climate in a remote community. I have been lucky enough to head to the Northern territory as a kid, where as a family we did a big camping trip up to alice and the surrounds. My memories of that trip are foremost of the landscape, and not so much of the towns we passed through on our trip. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m eager to be uncovering not only insights into what life is like in Kalkaringi, but through peripheral research be uncovering the indigenous histories of our country, which I am continuously discovering has been largely omitted in my upbringing.

The Dreaming The Dreaming and Other Essays, W.E.H. Stanner, 19342 Personal summary: I read this text whilst on a road trip through Western Australia’s south western flanks, and, though the community described by Stanner was no where near those roads winding through giant gums at the time, it helped in opening my eyes to the depth of indigenous culture. For me this book was the turning point in beginning to amend my preceding 25 years of (lack of) education regarding pre-colonial Australians. The way Stanner describes the theologies of indigenous people, how their conceptions of the world were so embedded with the ebb and flow of the environment, and in such stark contrast to the western white empiricism that permeates current Australia. It provided a different point from which to view concepts that I would say I’ve taken for granted, such as linear time, ownership, identity being limited to the mind and body, and sense of community. I think we owe a lot to Stanner’s ability to view the Daly River and Port Keats communities with a (for the time) relatively un-biased lens. Analysis in broader context: In reading this text one might fall into accidentally generalising the findings of Stanner’s interactions with a specific community/is to the broader indigenous Australian people. I found

You Can’t Ask That: Indigenous Australians ABC iview, 20163 this to trip me up from time to time, and so the information conveyed in the message I have to keep reminding myself is potentially totally limited to the communities Stanner came into contact with. However, even the core ideas in the essay will be useful to orient new information coming in about more specific communities such as Kalkaringi down the track. How it will impact on design thinking: This essay reminded me again of the cycles in which we will be subject to as humans on this earth, and the how reports of indigenous cultures tell us about the depth of understanding pre-colonial Australians had of these cycles and their role in them. It seems such a stark contrast to the colonist’s narrative, an ideological shift one of struggling against nature, and another of embedding oneself in it. Designs to come out of this subject must be hyper regionalist, with a firm understanding of seasonal changes and their affects on temperature, winds, foliage, animals, waterways, etc.

“You Can’t Ask That” is a television show funded by the ABC, which fields anonymous and typically controversial questions about minorities which are then answered by a diverse selection of said minorities. Personal summary: I find this show so valuable because it’s a first step for the privileged majority to understand the everyday of some minorities. The episode interviews Australians with indigenous heritage from all over the continent, from many different language groups, and many different attitudes towards their indigeneaity.

How it will impact on design thinking: For design, this episode is an argument against the assumption of client’s wants. It is a reinforcement that every client should be approached with a fresh lens, without preceding ideas that might cloud an outcome with well intentioned ‘solutions’.

Analysis in broader context: The first lesson that this episode makes apparent is that when it comes to this topic, very few generalisations can be made. It seems to want to nail down the point that indigenous people from vastly different parts of the country cannot be easily labeled together. It seems that the only very vague parallel between those on the show is one of hurt and cultural uncertainty, which in this episode manifests in differing responses. Some are angry, some are sad, some happy, some proud, some confused.

Kartiya are like Toyotas Kim Mahood4, 2012

Working with Aboriginal People NDSWA5 Personal summary: To increase the sense of confrontation I felt after the first class, I thought I’d give this essay a read. It was great as an essential reading for this class because it guesses all of the possible mis-intentions for working in remote indigenous communities, and in the negative spaces of the document establishes guidelines for behaviour. It felt confronting because at first it seemed to denounce the very concept of the Bower studio itself, but slowly makes its way around to really just reaffirm that you should try to treat people without any prejudice, whether you would think that prejudice is in their favour or not. Analysis in broader context: This text then seems to exist as evidence of the struggle that some post colonial australians feel with approaching the topic of indigenous australians, and is endemic of the schism and confusion that surrounds the topic. A few characters in the story encapsulate attitudes toward australia’s indigeneity, there is guilt and sympathy, hunger for power, and then it stipulates a rare character, the one of an ongoing commitment to reconciliation. If the sorry speech can be taken as an indication of the broader attitude toward indigenous australian welfare, then it may be the case that more concern and grants are being given to indigenous

communities, and with that, more non-indigenous government officials to deliver them. If so, this text then might also act as a poignant memory of indigenous communities reception of these workers in their communities. How it will impact on design thinking: I’m not sure if this will necessary inform design but rather will inform how consultation and engagement within the communities will occur over zoom, and definitely would have occurred had we been able to head to Kalk.

Personal summary: The list of Australian legislation that relates specifically to the rights of indigenous people is quite alarming. Analysis in broader context: The fact that the text even exists is exemplary of the probable existence and resultant harm caused by disagreements both fundamental and cultural in the workplace. I wonder how this document fares against the idea that generalisations shouldn’t be made with indigenous people. This seems to be a sort of firststep guide, perhaps to elicit a similar experience from these pages that Stanner’s ‘The Dreaming’ gave. However, a counter argument may be that this document becomes the first step to recognising some fundamental characteristics about the mechanisms within some indigenous societies, and prepares the reader to be aware of similar things so that they won’t be as much of a shock if they are encountered. Or perhaps, more cynically, it is just another mote of bureaucracy to ensure that when disagreements occur someone can prove that a worker was ‘informed’ to deflect legal responsibility back onto the worker.

How it will impact on design thinking: Understandably, this document was originally a prescribed text for the course due to our expecting to work alongside indigenous people in Kalk. However, alternatively, and when viewed alongside advice from Jamie about the working conditions in Kalk, this document prepares us for having to consider the buildability of our projects. Within it is a hint that the workforces that we could expect to build our designs might be vastly different from anything else we could have experienced in metropolitan Melbourne.

The Australian Dream Daniel Gordon, 20196

Ten Canoes Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, 20067 Personal summary: This was one of those films in which you watch, and nothing really surprises you, but the depth of the experience for some people of what might be considered as “normal” (note: not read ‘acceptable’) behaviour is what’s alarming. If anyone told me that it’s possible that a significant portion of football supporters had racist tendencies I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, but the ability for this to be seen from the other side is invaluable and heart breaking. The documentary is about the progressive erosion of Goodes’ spirit whilst he stands for indigenous heritage in the spotlight of Australian Rules Football. Elements of the film are pointed directly at exposing the racist tendencies that have been in the Australian mainstream for an incredibly long period of time, and other parts of the film are about perceived identity and healing, connection to country, and coming to terms with lineage. Analysis in broader context: Released only last year, the film is a snapshot of indigenous identity in the mainstream Australian lens as it is at the moment. It brings to the fore the types of racism which are largely invisible, but also shows to what level subtle and covert forms of racism permeate the screens and airwaves

and stadiums when others do not speak up. It’s terrifying, and confronting. It is startling to pinpoint exact moments when people of indigenous descent feel attacked, and how often this would happen during their lives. It’s startling because the privilege I have as a white person allows me to gloss over those details and they end up totally disconnected from the empathetic parts of my psyche because I’m unaware of them. Films that show you a different way of viewing the world, especially when hosted on the national television website are incredibly important. How it will impact on design thinking: Other than identifying the large undercurrents that exist in Australian media to keep indigenous voices down, and therefore impact on the perception and awareness of the status of contemporary indigenous Australia which I imagine has a flow on affect, I’m unaware of how this will impact on my design thinking other than painting a very macro picture of its cultural context.

Personal summary: This film works both as an insight to precolonial indigenous australians, but also has a tapestry of stories which are interwoven and laid on top of each other. The multi-dimensionality of the narrative made it confusing to discern at some points, however the overwhelming reception was that there is a strong law that is carried through oral histories, and that they unveil lessons about how to live in the landscape, and in community, and about all facets of the human condition, subtly intwined within a story about a hunting trip.

more just outlining that there’s an argument for this mode of conveying history that I hadn’t quite thought about before How it will impact on design thinking: This film gives a foundational understanding of a mode of living within the landscape, and not only of a place but more broadly as part of a community, and as part of larger natural cycles.

Analysis in broader context: The film, for me, makes a very strong case for some clear benefits of oral history over written history. And perhaps the requirements for both going forward, but even more so perhaps for a renaissance of the former. For example, I feel as though oral histories leave less to the chances of mis-interpretation; the listener can ask questions, can clarify, can reassure the teller that they have understood the message. I feel as though written history has fallen short in some aspects of this regard, where interpretation of sacred texts has lead to some fairly drastic and sometimes dangerous consequences. Now, I’m not saying that both probably couldn’t fall to the same mistakes, but I’m

In My Blood It Runs Maya Newell, 20209

Chapters: Introduction and Agriculture Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe 201413 Personal summary: 100% of children in juvenile detention in the northern territory are of aboriginal descent. I’m coming back to the analysis of this film in light of the recent BLM uproar, and how the ripples of that in Australia have been met with anger over the systems in place in 2020 Australia which make statements such as those above our reality. The film is about the systemic vortex that children might feel trapped in the Northern Territory, which may lead to the mis-representation of indigenous children in juvenile detention in the territory.8 Analysis in broader context: There is an ongoing theme with all of these films, in that there is a poetry of hopelessness that ties all of them together. Hearing stories from consultations with Double R and Phil, and even from the Bower tutors, this thread seems to also be woven into the community at Kalk. I feel lost to even know where to start on discussing this issue. I’m not sure how a culture recovers from something like the colonialism of the past two hundred years, or what that begins to look like. Perhaps we try to start small, or perhaps it’s something like climate change, where you must fight the battle on all fronts, big and small.

How it will impact on design thinking: The narratives told in this film seem to explain the requirements of ‘bullet proofing” our designs. Designs must therefore be durable for their climate, which is both (what I would consider to be) the extreme weather conditions prevalent in the area, and for the political climate as well. It must be bulletproof, because perhaps some people here are in a situation where there seems to be no other choice.

Personal summary: I’m currently only into the first 60 pages of Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu10 and so far it’s easy to understand why Marcia Langton said that this book should be required reading for all Australians11. The premise of this book is as an attempt to prove the intellectuality of pre-colonial Australians by using colonial Australian’s written accounts (which I think post-colonial white Australian’s like myself have been raised to ‘trust’ more than oral accounts) - and so far it has been incredibly eye opening. I’m constantly experiencing being upset at the treatment of indigenous australians, being sympathetic to settlers for being born at a time of such high european hubris, being angry at the continuation of that ideology, romanticising the indigenous Australian countryside of ‘Parkland’ and mourning the likelihood that Australia will ever return to any semblance of what is described. Analysis in broader context: The first two chapters of Dark Emu introduce arguments not only for the heritage of Australians but for the future of Australians, both agriculturally and (as a subsequent bi-product) culturally. It invites the imagination into conceiving of a slow and gradual overhaul of current political thinking, where indigenous practice and land management

is consulted at higher levels of any projects, and not just consulted but integrated. Pascoe argues for the necessity of this integration for sustainable reasons, and probably for deeper, spiritual and belonging reasons. How it will impact on design thinking: For me this text was probably the first time I’d considered that a neo-Australiana architecture could exist, and that it could look like the necessary collision of (sustainable) indigenous thinking and current practice. It’s an incredibly exciting idea, to question at every corner how this hyperregionalism of living not just within the landscape but as inseparable from it. I’m eager to explore how ideas of how knowledge from both historical accounts such as Basco’s and local knowledge from those in Kalk in building materials and techniques can impact on the tectonics and aesthetics of the design process. I am a big subscriber to Alain de Botton’s idea that architecture is the physical culmination of a society’s ideological at the time12, and I need to explore foremost what the post colonial Australia’s ideal relationship with pre-colonial australia is, and then to design an architecture that reflects that. I think Pascoe has and will be very helpful in painting

Rabbit Proof Fence Phillip Noyce, Doris Pilkington Garimara, 200214 Personal summary: It’s probably about time I’d watched this film. This was one of the few indigenous films that I’d heard about from high school. We didn’t get to see it, but my sister did. I can’t remember her reactions to it at the time, but I remember there was enough fantasy about this film (despite it being a true story) that it was received as a sort of mysticism of the past. Perhaps I’m projecting my surprise and a slight anger at the shallowness with which almost all aspects of my Australian history classes approached what happened to indigenous Ausralians during colonisation, so I’ll move on. There is an ongoing theme with all of these films, in that there is a poetry of hopelessness that ties all of them together. Despite the supposedly happy ending, it seems like a small mote of happiness inside a much darker storyline. Analysis in broader context: The film is another piece in the jigsaw of the larger picture which is a culture that has endured significant forced division, and another spotlight on the settler Australians, fragments of whose mentalities can sometimes still be seen today, at least after watching the Goodes documentary anyway.

Samson and Delilah Warwick Thornton, 200915 How it will impact on design thinking: I’m not quite sure actually, apart from maybe reinforcing previous learnings.

Personal summary: Analysis in broader context: Similarly to Rabbit Proof Fence, but perhaps stronger and more confronting in its visuals. Samson and Delilah is a story of helplessness and of a wicked vortex. I say its the same as Rabbit Proof Fence because both films end with what might be deemed a ‘happy ending’, but is the ending in this film really happy? Is living in what is essentially exile, disconnected from community a positive outcome? Or perhaps this was meant to be portrayed as the beginning of a rehabilitation until return. Either way, there does seem to be continuous threads to these films - the same thread that was in In My Blood It Runs too. How it will impact on design thinking: -

I will note, that I watched both of these films back to back, at quite a low point. And that if these summaries seem hopeless and scathing and melancholy, that perhaps it has more to do with the lens that I was watching them through rather than the films themselves.

Sand Talk - chapter 1 Tyson Yunkaporta, 201916

A Podcast of One’s Own: Marcia Langton on Aboriginal Women’s Rights Julia Gillard, 202017 Personal summary: The first chapter of Sand Talk levels quite a few attacks at what western society holds valuable, and seems to make a compelling argument for doing so. The text, in a similar vein to Pascoe’s Dark Emu queries the underlying ignorance of indigenous philosophies and ways of thought, and then turns a mirror to the pitfalls of western ideological reasoning. Despite finding the tone of writing difficult, Tyson asks some really valuable points; such as the argument of westerner’s measure of intelligence by the complexity of their tools, but not how they are used. I think this point has some merit into the general lack of personal philosophy particular in modern, hyper-capitalist mainstream western cultures, where value is typified by monetary value, rather than other, far more important forms of value. The text then goes on to talk about a “Pattern of Creation” as an argument for oral histories, and how things which tie into this pattern are true, and therefore do not need any other authority to be stated as true. I think, in a way, he’s referring to cultural and social phenomena working in cyclical ways, and the fundamentals of the Law mentioned in other texts/films like Ten Canoes.

Analysis in broader context: This text is suggesting a branch of philosophy returning to the old ways of indigenous thought, and to a critical reflection on mainstream ideologies. It again laments the ongoing ignorance of the wisdom of pre-colonial Australians, and poses itself as a potential bridge between indigenous theory and western theory. In a way, this links into the Modern / Traditional theory that I touch on later in the Social Club design process chapters of this book. How it will impact on design thinking: Yunkaporta suggests the idea of a non-linear walk, in which a goal is achieved not by gunning directly for the end result, but by meandering toward the end, ensuring that all the ground is covered along the way, and to also not miss out on the potential richness of other things which may get left behind. I think in a macro sense this would apply not only to the designing of the club but also to the entire process of building in a community, making sure that every face of the design process is accounted for, that all processes are considered and all that.

Personal summary: Julia’s probing questions to Marcia are so insightful, and, in what appears to be a recurring theme when analyising indigenous texts, there is an overt current of the types of hardships which both women have undergone as being prominent and outspoken figures in Australian society. Large portions of the podcast are about challenges experienced purely because of their genders, and it holds an experience similar to when you stumble upon the facebook pages with a predominantly racist political viewpoint - just waves of disappointment and frustration. Analysis in broader context: How it will impact on design thinking: -

First class and the Bower/Kalkaringi story Introduction to Bower Studio. It’s a Monday morning, 9am studio. We do the standard studio student introductions, we meet David, George, James. Lexi’s still in Tas so she misses out. We’re told the story of Kalkaringi, of Vincent Lingiari, Daguragu, Gough Whitlam, and are given a brief history of the town since then, with various levels of government control, the intervention, drinking laws, Gurindji Corp, the main characters: Phil, Penny, Rob Roy, et al. Very quickly it became very confronting. The livelihood of remote indigenous communities is unsettling to a white, apparently sheltered, and privately educated and post-colonial australian. We’re shown photos, at one point someone mentions an idea of third world living conditions in Australia. If I’m honest, I primarily signed up to Bower to build things. Hands on tools, and all that. It’s very apparent the incredible depth of social understanding required before even thinking of designing for these communities. And unlike most other studios, it’s quite real. Walk Off Pavilion, Wave Hill - Bower 2016

Karungkarni Arts Centre, Kalkaringi - Bower 2018

Big Shady, Kalkaringi - Bower 2019

Week 2 Class: art storage / display modeling exercise I remember this class being confronting, it gave you a real sense that everything really did have to be bulletproof, and that the exact reasons why weren’t readily said, and I think this was to help save our perception, but kind of turned out to be an unspoken thing. The feedback we got on our 25 minute model designs was quite extraordinary. It gave a real insight into the actual problems that were faced from designing in Kalkaringi, from flooding, to dust storms, to the prevalence for things to go ‘walk about’ or their need to be ‘bulletproof’. Getting to meet the crew at this stage was really good as well. We didn’t know the fate of our studio at the time, nor the fact that it would be one of the last times we’d see each other for a couple of months, but looking back now I think we would have all traveled really well together, to be honest. Oh well, best laid plans, etc etc

Documentary: Memorial Landscapes

Waitangi Treaty Grounds Waitangi, New Zealand Gaby brought this precedent from her homeland, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascinating to see how another country so similar to Australia has memorialised their colonial history, and how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve handled the situation differently. The space here is a combination of both traditional and colonial structures, and it has an annual festival, celebrating both cultures together. Australia is not yet there, our Australia Day by comparison is the same with how we seem to want to treat our indigenous past - by forgetting it entirely. The precedent invites an analysis not only of the space but of the continued use and activity of the space which bolsters it. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a relic or a museum, but an official event that (from talking to Gab) most New Zealanders feel the need to attend at least once.

Wave Hill Walk Off Kalkaringi, Northern Territory The cornerstone if this years Bower Studio, the sites of the Wave Hill Walk Off that path from the old station through to Daguragu have a deep meaning in the story of the Gurindji people, and prove that an environments history and perception of that environment lie within the lens of the cultures that remember it. This is the idea of places holding memories in the people that visit them, rather than in the physical sense of the site. Without the Gurindji people, or anyone who knows their story, this landscape would hold a mystery of physical reminders to piece together.

Aboriginal Land Management Practices Indigenous land management practices are a combination of physical activities in the landscape becoming the memories themselves. In Ten Canoes, stories and lessons are told over a fishing trip, and younger members of the tribe are brought up whilst doing something else. The burning of the landscape literally changes the landscape, a marker of the indigenous story, and the activity of doing so would have created more stories and memories within it. In this way, the landscape is a both a physical and psychological memory of space.

Nagrara Place, RMIT Greenaway Architects Ngarara Place at RMIT is an injection of indigenous identity into Melbourne’s urban fabric. The symbolism within and artwork that surround the space seem to typify the publicly celebrated indigenous experience and connection to land, with dot paintings and plants that reflect the local flora in the region. I feel like the pathway to repairing the relationship between indigenous Australian’s culture and colonial Australian’s culture is fought on many fronts, and awareness and proximity to public space and the public eye is a key part of that.

Alianait Arts Festival Nunavut, Canada The idea of a place that holds memories being transient was a different angle that we chose to explore for the documentary. This is where the physical aspects of place-making would shift dependent on the activities that would use it. The festival broadly relates to the Inuit town that it is held within, but could happen anyway within a certain region, rather than a specific, physical space that is returned to such as at Waitangi or the Wave Hill Walk Off. Here, the reliance is on behaviour to retrieve and recreate memories. Thinking of this as architects, how do we facilitate such behaviour in our designs? And how much agency can architecture have in dictating behaviour such as this?

The Bundian Way Southern NSW Similar to indigenous land management, this precedent looked at an annual journey from the shores of the south eastern new south wales into the highlands of what is now Victoria’s alpine region. It looks at how the landscape was used as a significant cyclical memory, and that the seasons dictated how people would live, and where they would get food. The vast amounts of food as written about by John Blay and even mentioned by Bruce Pascoe in Dark Emu attribute this 350km walk to being a place to create and memorialise culture without necessarily a physical intervention of space as such.

What I found interesting coming back to this was thinking about how memories and the social club brief can be intertwined. Annabelle has taken this on board quite a lot I believe, with imbuing her design with stories on a multitude of different levels. I think the boundary between memory and landscape is so blurred, in that you almost can’t have one without the other. Specifically the Alianait Arts festival, which I thought drew parallels to Freedom Day Festival in that it’s a temporary space set up around an event, and how the social club plays its role in facilitating that.

other group documentaries

Cultural Spaces - international examples Andrew, Lexi, Sarah Learnings we took from this is that knowing the client’s priorities and the needs of the end user can be understood as imperative to the successful use of the building after construction. If it’s for tourists or for money, then it won’t really enhance the cultural experience for local people, and typically won’t be used after the completion of the building, as it has a shallow connection to those that frequent the area all the time. There is an argument here about cultural centers in general, in that designing a ‘culture centre’ is like designing a blank canvas in a way. These precedents suggest that designing for culture centre requires the inclusion of primary functions for the community to be included into it, or else it risks being unused by those whose culture you’re trying to celebrate.

Cultural Spaces - domestic examples Hermione, Bronte, Caleb Similarly, these culture centres draw on ideas. There are challenges here in architectural typologies that represent different cultures in a very shallow way, in my opinion, and that therefore sort of miss the point of what it means to be in an active culture. It does, however, open up the discussion to looking at what an indigenous vs modern architectural response can look like, and how these responses can bolster an identity to move forward into.

Community Consultation Techniques Leif, Emma, Annabelle This presentation was interesting in that it touched in cultural ideas which I didn’t know about, such as kinship awareness theories and things of that nature. The video outlines that an awareness of the histories and communities and cultures with which you would consult with is of paramount importance for building relationships, as it opens the way for empathy and understanding.

third class: ARUP meeting

Jorja and Rachel did a small presentation outside MSD one morning and told us about the Shading structures we were going to build, about their turning moments, about the load pathing and different thickness of members, footings required, connections. It was fascinating. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a few discussions with engineers at work, but never really sat down and had all of these things explained so clearly and overtly. Rachel and Jorja when through a lot more of the constructability than I had expected from an engineerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presentation. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realise that part of their role was also to consider the transportability and sourcing of elements, the multidisciplinary aspect of this consultation was enlightening. We learned about the types of live loads that would be experienced in the kalk climate. I deeply regret not asking them how many people could stand on it at once, as in later classes James kept mentioning that everything built is a challenge to be climbed upon. Next time.

design esquisse: art display / storage karungkarni arts centre, kalkaringi

Pennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Karungkarni Arts Centre is located in the old powerhouse south of the Buntine Highway in Kalkaringi. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only building south of the highway, and is prone to annual flooding (hence it is not longer a powerhouse). The problem was that the place didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough room to store their art, which meant that exhibiting the art also became difficult, and the place was generally cluttered. Our task was to make an attempt at designing a remedy for these problems, and to, in the process, become familiar with the idea of designing for a client, and the consultation process, and at the same time, learn some of the background of designing something in Kalkaringi. My solution to the problem was a system that functioned both as a display mechanism and a storage module.

The design responded to the temporal nature of the arts centre. In one room, it functions as a workshop, an exhibition space, and is subject to annual flooding, when it would need to be cleared.

The modules were aligned along the centre gable in the space, as that’s where the highest parts of the ceiling are. This meant that when the art was hung from the ceiling in the space, that a circuit could be made around works and the table in the centre. As different modules could be lowered at different times, there are many different ‘pathways’ that could be created on the floor plan depending on what each exhibit required. The ability for art exhibition spaces to have a flexible atmosphere to reflect the work was taken from the NGV, which makes large scale, albeit superficial, changes to their pathways through the gallery for different exhibits. One downside of recessing the sheaths on this axes is that, when lowered, it might block solar access into the internal spaces.

An enclosed counterweighted crank and pulley system is used to lower the works down into the space, where the frames are then accessed to hold / retrieve artworks, or, when exhibiting, secured via cables to anchor points in the floor plate or table.

The design is comprise of multiple layers of corten or similar steel sheets to be suspended from the ceiling, and within them the art is protected. Notably, the steel sheets on the outside were an attempt at making the design difficult to hang onto the top elements, as was made a key design concern by James.

My first attempt at detailing in bower saw the use of a lot of the materials which I had seen used in the previous bower projects. Metal was prioritised for its resilience, and this was a theme that would become pretty steady as the semester went on.

Karungkarni arts centre Proposed modules

Module A

other student’s designs

Gaby Miegeville-Little existing artwork Gaby’s model was exciting because at the time it eluded to the type of detailing which we might be looking forward to doing at 1:1 on site, and how when we got back we could really incorporate these into our projects. steel mesh I think a moment here to reflect how much the course structure has changed because of COVID 19, and how many experiences have had to be jettisoned out of the course because of it. I still made a few models later in semester, but as they weren’t required for the final submission and seeming implausibility of any models when viewed square steel section over a webcam / photo anyway, they fell down by the wayside.

Module B sealed plywood

steel mesh

Leif Canuto What a profound proposal, the idea of linking the indigenous art of the landscape back to the landscape which inspired it. Within this idea is the recognition that the two elements can be understood at a different level when they aren’t taken too far apart from each other. It’s the idea of seeing the whole process in a practice of cultural expression, a confluence of the poetry of place. I think what I like about this is the depth of connectivity which was at the core Leif’s argument for the art cart, whether or not in practice a system such as this would have worked.

square steel section

partial transparency -

- workbench height

extendable displays -

- removable trays

secure tool storage -

- discrete tool storage

pause

a moment for mum

The words that follow aren’t talking specifically to bower, and I don’t expect that their contents will fall into any categories of a rubric, but if this journal is to capture my semester’s journey through this subject then I think it would be remiss to leave out how losing mum has heavily impacted upon it. I can’t tell anymore if this subject is difficult because I’m designing for a site that I’ve never been to, for a community and culture that I’ve never been a part of, in a faculty that I can’t physically be present in, or if it’s because I can’t have an actual desk crit with the tutors or classmates, or perhaps because in the midst of all this the world appears to be falling apart, or because I’m enduring the most trying personal hardship that I have been made to accept so far, or all of the above. But its a bit of a shitfight. And I suppose when something like that happens, it’s always going to be a shitfight. They say you gotta stay busy, keep your mind occupied on the here and now And so I think I decided to persevere purely because it is something to do, an ‘other’ for me to

focus on. There will probably be large swathes of what should have ended up in this journal missing, and the design might not be pushed as far, and the drawings might be rushed, the energy might not be there. But I think it’s okay. I think that if you’re on a sinking ship and you decide to paddle to the shore, that upon getting there you’d be glad just to make it and not be too worried about how faultless your technique was along the way.

warnkurr sports and social club

Kalkaringi, currently According to Wardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s text, the political Climate in Kalkaringi has undergone dramatic shifts since the Wave Hill Walk Off, and the communities there have both had struggles without and more notably with government support, as well as the changing state of broad strokes government legislation leaving smaller communities such as Kalkaringi without their specific needs met.

its own arts and cultural centre (Karungkarni Arts) and is in the process of renegotiations with the Vic-Daly council. During our Bower Semester, one of the big success stories that has come out of this is the agreement with the council that Gurindji Corp will be taking ownership of the Warnkurr Sports and Social Club, which is set to happen this year.

However, Wardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book leaves on a positive note for the Gurindji people and the communities at both Kalkaringi and Daguragu. It identifies Gurindji Corp, which is operated by traditional owner Rob Roy (also known as Double R) and Phil Smith (the two primary consultants for the Social Club redevelopment) as a positive establishment which hopes to drive toward creating a sustainable economy for Kalkaringi through primarily community owned and run businesses. This is in contrast to the up until recently overseeing from the Victoria Daly Regional Council, which has been criticised as having too distant a connection with the community, and as Ward states a problem with holding on to staff.

As a result of this, Bower have teamed with Gurndji Corp to help facilitate the upgrade of the Social Club, and to work towards generating ideas of what the new club could look like, feel like, or how it could operate. This is an initiative which I feel is in line with the Gurindji spirit, of being on the front foot, of taking initiatives and working together to develop their own community. It is also something which, upon talking to Double R and Phil, you can tell they are both immensely proud of, and rightfully so.

It is noted that Kalkaringi has developed

image: Gemma Border

Part of the Gurndji Corp’s acquisition of the Social Club is to provide a detailed management plan of how it will run the business from 2020-2023. One of the key benefits of taking on a Bower studio is the fact that you are designing for a real community, and a community that you’re engaged with, can have discussion with, and get feedback on outside of the University Architecture bubble. Your clients are real people with real investments in the outcome of what you’re designing, which, of course, raises the stakes, but also is a model which, having worked in a practice for two years and experienced similar things there, I would consider should be a core subject, a fundamental part of our education. This document was when that penny dropped. When that idea really hit home for me. I often struggle with the idea of ‘Architecture for Architects’ such as Richard Leplastrier’s own house at Lovett Bay. I personally love its architecture and how it forces a living within the landscape, but most people I talk too about it think that conception of living is quite frankly insane.

OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS GROWTH & SAVINGS

PROPOSED KEY STAGES & MILESTONES

We see a number of areas that have potential to support business growth and improvements: o

We will launch a courtesy bus service for Club patrons between Kalkaringi and Daguragu from 5pm8pm which will improve sales (food included) and community safety and take pressure off the VDRC Night Patrol. As we already own and operate the bus for our Store this is a simple extension

Redeveloping the Club facilities into a more family and visitor friendly venue. We have already commenced some design work with our long-term partner University of Melbourne’s Bower Studio, and we look forward to sharing concepts with VDRC for feedback in the future

GAC, Karungkarni Art and TourismNT have a broad regional tourism vision that incorporates the iconic Gurindji history, the National Heritage Listed Wave Hill Walk-off Track, Arts, Judburra/Gregory National Park and the annual Freedom Day Festival. The Club, along with our Store and Caravan Park is identified as a key visitor facility in this vision

With the ‘Club Managers House’ being in desperate need of repair works we could explore the opportunity for Heritage Listing of the building which can lead to special funding avenues for longterm maintenance. The House is the original ‘Welfare House’ from the 1966 Walk-off, and ties into the existing heritage listed Walk-off Track. The NTG has expressed interest in heritage listing.

Warnkurr Social Club – Business Proposal 2020-23 1 For consideration by the Victoria Daly Regional Council

o 9

Having both the Store and Club businesses under the one umbrella, and a single Management Contract with ALPA, will present opportunities for efficiencies and potential cost savings in areas of management, HR, travel, freight and supplier discounts, and pooling equipment and vehicles

Stage 1: 2019/20

Stage 2: 2020/21

St age 3 : 20 2 2/2 3

Owner VDRC

Owner VDRC (Jul-Sep) GAC via Karu Bulangkarni PTY LTD (Oct)

Owner GAC

Management ALPA

Actions VDRC review GAC proposal Liquor Licence Application* Redevelopment planning Marketing brand dev

Actions GAC Renegotiate three-year management contract w/ALPA Transfer of Liquor Licence Transfer Ownership Form new Committee Launch courtesy bus Redevelopment Stage 1 Reviews w/VDRC

Actions Redevelopment Stage 2 Reviews with VDRC

*Licensing NT have suggested the process for transfer of Liquor License should be quite straight forward under Karu Bulangkarni PTY LTD, and with ALPA as nominees.

Savings in repairs and maintenance costs via GACs community-based trade-qualified team 10

Excerpts from the Warnkurr Social Club Business proposal from Gurindji Corp to Vic-Daly Council. Honoured to have a drawing from my interim submission included as a conception of future opportunities for the club.

the brief “Making it not just a place about alcohol, but rather linking it into the broader community” - Phil Three key points: - Serve Alcohol - Serve Food - Secure Secondary points: - Family friendly threshold between drinking area and outside for children, located behind the pub - To erase the ‘prison feel’ that currently surrounds the space - Ability to temporarily shift to host the Freedom Day Festival - Signage for tourism - A little stage that’s indestructible, with builtin equipment inaccessible to public - Needs to deal with yearly flooding External Space Behind the Club: - Second eating area for children

- Access to the food servery - Shade - Seating - Table tops - Games (eg. playground/ping pong) - Needs to be ‘bulletproof ’ - Views from the northern side quite good Servery - Accessible by both the drinking area and the children’s area - Needs to be able to be managed by 2 people at once Security box - Sign in - Breath test - Staffed by two people

- Sometimes a bonfire in the middle - Tree towards security box is “Old bastard’s corner” where the oldies sit Freedom Day Festival - Club acts as toilets, meals, and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the festival - Double gates toward oval open up - People don’t usually hang for too long around the bar during freedom day festival

the clients Gurindji Corp, and the kalkaringi community the team

Outdoor area (towards oval) - Sit toward the fence looking inwards Annabelle Roper

Damien Cresp

Leif Canuto

Gaby Miegeville-Little

Teaching ‘Proper’ Drinking? Maggie Brady18, 2017 Personal summary: This fairly comprehensive analysis of the relationship between indigenous australians and alcohol throughout Australia’s history frames the one sided-ness of the conversation between drinking in indigenous communities. Beginning with the first fleet and Cook’s sharing a toast with two indigenous men, Colbee and Bennelong, to The book contains the narrative of how indigenous people were regarded as savages, and there were attempts to ‘teach’ a select few members of clans how to dine and have manners which would distance them from this ‘savagery’. It goes on to emphasise the tendancy and capability for indigenous people all over the continent to mimic behaviours of settlers, and in particular their relationship to alcohol. The distinction is made between the relatively moderate drinking behaviours of the ruling elite and the comparatively out of control and binge culture of the far more numerous convict/settlers that came with them. The text highlights how to a society of people who hadn’t had any widespread consumption of alcohol prior to colonisation, the excessive drinking behaviours of most british colonists were ruinous to indigenous people who partook.

Ruckus caused by inebriated indigenous peoples coupled with existing racial bias meant heavy restrictions on alcohol availability to indigenous communities, and the further segregation of consumers as portions of the world turned to prohibitionist values coincidentally. This segregation can then be regarded as the foundation for which a brief ‘un-learning’ of drinking in moderation could have occurred, and the inability for drinking to be facilitated in intergenerational communal learning. The text then begins to detail contemporary history and the establishment of drinking areas largely as a result of religious missions, and their inconsistent management of alcohol supply to indigenous communities, and the naivety and misunderstanding to which some clubs (Wadeye is used as an example) failed to comprehend indigenous community behaviour in regard to alcohol management. The recent histories which involve a lot of legislative action from governments highlight how new, broadstrokes rules often failed to recognise the fragility and specificity with how individual communities managed their alcohol, and hence sometimes caused more grief. The reason for this summary of the text is to emphasise that indigenous people’s access to alcohol has until recently largely been in the hands of non-

indigenous australians. Analysis in broader context: So where does the Social Club fit into this picture? Having recently been confirmed that it will be returned to a Kalkarindji management, the club takes one step closer to being an establishment with indigenous autonomy. I note that the precedent of the Wadeye club in the text, after undergoing a similar change to autonomy, experienced a brief period of positivity followed by a progressive drift from the original ideals, a few lapses in the established organisation of the club which led to the eventual descent of the club. From a programmatic perspective, the club will need to acknowledge these failings if they are to retain successful administration of the management of the club.

Infrastructure, must therefore be strong, robust, and be able to withstand any potential extremities of misuse. Moments of fragility intrinsic in the club’s brief must be able to be contained and secured, and opened up only when supervision is administered.There is a balance here, as dignity must be maintained within the design process and within the design itself, and if pride is to be placed from the kalk residents into the club’s redevelopment, the final result cannot be patronising to those who we want to inhabit it.

This text, for me, represents the most difficult aspect of the social club’s brief. Making a statement through our design choices about how members of an indigenous community should drink is a task that one can’t take upon lightly, and as a post-colonial australian, feels frankly wrong to impose. The only redeeming factor is the ample supervision and input from members of the community themselves, and their ability to take ownership of the designs and to defend them to others in the community. Otherwise we risk ruining something (the club) which the community is currently so invested and content with.

How it will impact on design thinking: But what does this mean for the physical design of the club? Teaching ‘proper’ drinking highlights the dark reality of the dangers of alcohol in indigenous communities. The history of violence, rowdiness, subversion of rules, damage and misuse of equipment, is something that has been echoed in our consultations with both Phil, and RR, and the rest of the Bower leaders.

‘Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong’ - TED Talk Johann Hari19, June 2015 Personal summary: Now I want to be clear here and say that I cannot claim to know nor have the authority nor want to make any calls about alcohol addiction in Kalkaringi. The reason I thought to include this TED Talk was because of references to Alcohol addiction in ‘Teaching “proper” drinking?’ and thought that the messages in this talk that respond more broadly to addiction’s interface with environment might be insightful.

other than just going to get a drink would be ideal. The new design should include these ‘other’s (ie. additional sports equipment / games / cooking facilities / etc) and they should be in everyone’s face.You shouldn’t be able to go to the club without seeing these other things, and, after a while, you shouldn’t be able to think of the social club without also thinking of these other things. And therefore, changing perceptions of the club.

“The opposite of addiciton, is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection” Analysis in broader context:

How it will impact on design thinking: There is a base argument here that implies that the opposite of addiction is creating an environment that has a multitude of other options. Of an ‘other’ to turn to instead of the substance. Therefore, it runs parallel with the idea that the community members we’ve spoken with want the social club to be more than what it is, and that the facilitation and immediate provision of options

> (We go through the brief of the social club here, and the result is what’s noted above) Could the club be opened for a longer time? • It was a bit hard as staff would then have to work a double shift • If you could get a coffee in the morning that would be cool, but it would have to be cleaned quickly • A lightweight bagel and a coffee would be amazing, anyone who has a coffee

Victoria River: How often does this place flood? • Usually floods around february, almost always goes above the bridge railing, • Unpredictable, sometimes not when it’s even raining, can come suddenly • It’s a worry when it comes up below the arts centre, and then it can be 2m high just south of the arts centre • So we do probably have to take that into account

• • •

10 months of the year it’s usually dry in july/august/ before the wet season begins Heavy downpour in december to january Stormwater can be a big problem as well At the moment it runs off, down into the arts centre

How full is it usually? • Usually at least a puddle in there • The dry has been getting longer and drier at the moment

Opening hours flexibility? • 5-8 during the week • 2-5pm saturday • (these were changed intervention) • • • •

• • • • In this class we see the beginnings of understanding from Phil’s perspective what the project should be about, and what the current state of Kalkaringi is like at the moment.

• •

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WOMEN'S TOILETS

WOMEN'S TOILET STAFF TOILET MEN'S TOILETS

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STORE

STAFF TOILET MEN'S TOILETS

KITCHEN

STORE

SERVERY SHADE PAVILION

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SERVERY

POOL ROOM

You can’t just sell alcohol, you need to sell food You can’t just sell pies, it has to be whole meals as well “They wanted to see it like a family venue with family activities” And that was what it was like for a while, but families wouldn’t look after their children EXISTING FLOOR PLAN 1 SCALE 1:100 @ A3 And Problem that a securityA001 were looking after children that weren’t theirs Thursday night used to be family night EXISTING FLOOR PLAN

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Opportunity to be popular outside of those hours, as it was in the past. To keep the club open, the manager makes that decision, As long as everything’s okay with police and stuff Seems to be that you need to manage the amount of drinking if you’re going to increase opening hours

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Healthcare in Kalk: • Currently super stretched • 2 or 3 nurses, no doctor • They just can’t prepare. Do their best, but can’t self isolate • There’s a bit of panic atm as well • It seems like the federal rules aren’t particularly applicable to these scenarios

•

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SKETCH DESIGN PROJECT

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machine would be good Arts centre has a nice spot Maybe it’s not a good idea, bc it would compete with the coffee served at the cultural centre

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Hi Phil • Social club is getting shut down for COVID • People driving a long way to find grog and therefore car accidents • Thinking about the impacts from these decisions

• •

LINE OF ROOF ABOVE

Aesthetics of the projects: • Aesthetic choices based on what’s already there and landscapes etc • Not as much shiny steel but rather something that has that weathered look • But actually would be cool to get more of a review from members of community on aesthetics

Week 4 Class: additional info on the club

LINE OF ROOF ABOVE

Week 4 Class: introduction to Phil, and the project brief

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Movie nights used to be a thing, for the first two months, but everyone’s at the club and nobody’s at community, and you have break ins in the community Really need a childcare service

After school club? • Programmatic solution, could we have more staff? Non. • They’re pretty strict with who they hire • They’ve looked into things like that through the Corporation • It’s a challenge but if we put our voice in Area for passing through food would be useful? • People get frustrated when there’s a line, or just lining up for someone else • Separate access to family and kids would be essential •

Little kids would definitely need to be supervised in the non-drinking area

• • • •

Fence change, to not barbed wire But still need the security Because they do get a lot of break ins The transparency of the fence is something to consider

•

But consider that observing what other people do is a pretty integral part of the brief People don’t turn their seats around to watch what other people do

• • •

Many visitors driving through? • Chance to expand the amount of people that work there if we’re selling more food? • If that happens then they could look at that.

•

At the moment operation is smooth, Club switching to Gurindji Corp

•

Expanding shade structures - two pavilions out on the grass Entrance for kids and family there, out the back Need a bit of shade + rain cover on the side, out the back near the old tennis court

• •

Possibility of other sides? • Possible, but sort of chucked it out Possible other activities: • Games

•

Afl, cricket, potentially And shade structures around it Would people play basketball instead of tennis? Yeah? Basketball court, could you use it as something else? Used in the hours of the opening

Community’s favourite thing about the club: • Beer • Music • Music box, whoever gets their first has it first and then half hourly changes • People love it • 2-3 weeks leading up to freedom day festival, a lot of bands coming through • • • • • •

Pool, Need for more games? Would be well received, And outdoor screen or something Footy, Need a place to watch the footy after the pub closes Tv’s are above the pool tables on the wall

precedent studies warnkurr sports and social club Gunbalanya Sports and Social Club Gunbalanya, Northern Territory Pros: - good use of open space, with central stage - simple architectural elements, with enough greenery to soften edges - closes down when there are shows on so that kids can come in - large undercover areas Cons: - largely un-inspiring, or standard architectural resolution - spaces perhaps too big, and lack placemaking inbetween them

Punmu and Parnngurr Health Clinics Parnngurr, Western Australia Pros: - interesting roof form - example of an architecture designed out of an obviously bare budget - example of lasercut artwork on the facade cons: - almost zero integration with community outside of the slab boundary, and minimal shading to those areas as well, despite most of the budget seeming to go to the shade

Krakani Lumi Mount William National Park, Tasmania Taylor and Hinds Architects, 2017 Pros: - incredible harnessing of a poetic expression of burnt timber - design process heavily incorporated indigenous communities in the local area - uses local materials to blend into the landscape - utilisation of living in the landscape for those lucky/affluent enough to experience it (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not upset) Cons: - too expensive for me to visit

Yulara Resort Yulara, Northern Territory COX Architecture, 1984 Pros: - example of a commercial regionalism in Central Australia - shows increased use of shading, as well as harnessing energy for ESD Cons: - design seems to be largely and exculisively for tourist use - does not appear to sit within its landscape, but rather stands out from it

Naidi Community Hall Naidi, Fiji Caukin Studio, 2019 Pros: - utilisation of local materials and labour to construct - simple materials utilised in really interesting and novel ways, as consulted with community on. - seems to lean into generating a different architectural typoligy that appears relevant to its context and traditional building methods whilst still using modern materials / techniques - social program of space kept up after construction Cons: - space inside a bit too universal

Cubo de Totora Otavalo, Ecuador Archquid, 2016 Pros: - Prefabricatability - multidimensional spatial arrangements allow for user autonomy over the space Cons: - modularity risks being site specific - (from Double R) conceling people and their behaviour in social settings not ideal in Kalkarinhi community

St Andrew’s Beach House Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Sean Godsell Architects, 2006 (Materiality) Pros: - durable, designed to withstand erosion in the harsh climate - applies multiple layers of ‘skin’ to the built form, creating changing views and site lines, whilst administering dappled light into the space - materials will weather appropriately over time

Fish River Ranger Accomodation Fish River Station, Northern Territory University of South Australia, 2018 Pros: - built by student groups from south australia (seems to be their Bower equivalent, probably with a bit more funding) - roof form seems to respond to site

Larapinta Trail Campsites Larapinta Trail, Northern Territory Neeson Murcutt Architects, 2013 Pros: - identifies different materiality that can be successful and really cheap in for the climate - lightweight, so can be constructed with minimal infrastructure required Cons: - looks breakable. Probably works because the site is so isolated

Desert House Alice Springs, Northern Territory Dunn and Hillam Architects, 2014 Pros: - example of materiality design for very similar harsh clients - FC sheet cladding and detached skillion roof typologies seem to be in a lot of ‘vernacular’ precedents, hence why I am including one - windows and other elements have operable coverings which can close down the house during the heat

Bower Studio 2020

family / social

contents

The People

Storytelling

Local History

family / social

Designing local history into new structures

Who are the users of the space?

Community Networking How might the club encourage more community networking?

warnkurr Social club design ideas family / social

storytelling

The People Brief Community Networking

Historic / Cultural Display Artefacts / Photographs Local History

Interstate visitors

open & closed

week 7 class: precedent presentation discussion with RR

Open Semi-Closed Closed

entertainment

Gannalili Gallery Space

121

Games Technology Events

Annabelle Roper, Damien Cresp, Leif Canuto, Gaby Miegeville-Little

This precedent presentation revealed some of the complexities of consulting with community, and were particularly compounded by the fact that we had to do it over zoom with dodgy internet connections, alternative phone call arrangements et al. The responses we got from Double RR on the various topics discussed were incredibly enlightening, and between the lines of what he said I think we all developed a much richer picture of the kalkaringi community and its machinations.

Welcome signs

Visitors from nearby

Locals

Punmu and Parnngurr Health Centres WA Kids

The walk off story cut into metal sheets Encourage visitors to come to the club

Adults

Locals meeting politicians

Families together

to other slides on the fly. I’m not quite sure if any of us were quite prepared for how hard this might actually be, but we seemed to get through most of it alright, and he did call the corten lasercut fence idea ‘deadly’ so I’ll take that any day of the week.

As Double R is a TO and at Gurindji Corp, you can tell he has significant skin in the game, particularly when we mentioned a somewhat shit idea or otherwise. For all of us, learning out to talk to him and communicate our architectural intent was difficult, we forced to really create a narrative on the spot and guide the presentations, but also be receptive to feedback and flexible enough to chop and change

Week 7 Class: Social Club Discussion with Phil •

The term ‘Warnkurr’ actually means that part of the bend in the river

• •

Moving parts break, Always try for it to be as low effort as possible

Fence • Gotta be able to see out and see in • Alternatively, having sections which are private or screen might be good • Steel colorbond fencing can be painted with murals Toilets: • The current ladies toilets are not very private, it’s just a tin bin right next to where people are drinking • Privacy screens? Bushes? Trees? • Men’s toilets • become a blokes hangout, a bit of a manfest around there, not v. inviting to women • Children’s toilets? • New toilets? Back them onto the existing ones so you can share services Pool tables • Not very inviting to both sexes. The

•

location is good, but it leans towards men’s genders

•

Maybe a half court basketball? With like a hoop, play round the world? But not a full blown match

Who is drinking here? • Tourists? Not really, just a small few • Government people who are visiting from the region • Think about them as major market, and think about the use of the social club as a hub for other liaison to be done • Business network / stakeholder networking / community networking / storytelling and networking / talk shit for three hours and come up with ideas • Predominantly for the locals. • Always sort of groups of four or five • Double R knows where people sit, • Which means that a lot of people tend to return to the same spot • Nurses sit on the benches when they talk to a few people

Will the kids stay? • Well if they’re there to have a feed anyway. • We don’t want to maintain a full court, or increase the maintenance anyway Fire pit • Existing one kinda sucks • Simple firepit, maybe be able to put a grill over it • Could be a circular concrete shape, • Could be a hexagonal shape (this is quite popular at the moment) • They use it almost all the time over winter, as soon as it drops below 28 degrees Servery flank, • Make it bulletproof, shade, seating, protected • Design needs to have less things to maintain, less things to worry about

For people to just walk in there and enjoy the landscape, that’s what we’re after

• • • • • • •

be very apparent in the social club Can be done with like sheet metal that can be lasercut with artwork or stories Community happiness on the walls Photos of them being happy, Old and new Story telling happens through the photos around the pool tables, Makes a serious case for needing a gallery to talk to “Here’s vincent, here’s gough”

Social side • You want people to stay for an extra night, that’s the key • You want the perspective of people to be surprised of the depth of the history • And you want them flip to that relation to kalk’s social club, rather than of ‘drunk blackfellas’

Size of project • Looks like the footprint will be kept, generally History • Here the social history of Kalk needs to

Week 9 Class: Materials Discussion with James

Timber

Rammed Earth / bricks

• Termites on timber that is at ground level • Infested in a few months How do you mitigate this? • Raise any timber you use off the ground • Termites will build small mud tunnels up to timber, which can be cleared away if the timber is high enough • Not a lot of big trees in the NT, not a lot of timber in the territory anyway • So don’t design with a lot of timber or it will probably be expensive Plywood, CLT, MDF for interiors? • Fine, just as long as you keep it away from the termites Modwood • Decking made out of plastic/timber fibre • There’s not enough firewood around kalk, if you make a deck out of timber that burns then it will be used firewood • So this is a material which can be used that people won’t take to burn Timber previously used in bower projects? • Really thick timbers seem to be alright • But they got those real cheap from a dude in WA after a cyclone

• •

•

Expensive (relatively) Also we can’t just design a make-believe structure

Rammed earth is good it’s just really expensive in kalk • The reality is that you’d probably be forced to use pre-formed concrete to do that sort of work, because it’s so robust, it’s more quotable, and it has a predicted outcome, unlike something experimental like rammed earth • Seems that you’d need a good argument to be able to do these kinds of things in the kalkarindji context • Rammed earth in melbourne is not a sustainable building product, it’s not environmentally friendly bc it’s not local dirt, and it has all these adhesives in it, and mud bricks • Most sustainable / affordable housing that you can create • Jamie a biG fan, he’s a very active member on the mud brick society of melbourne apparently

Concrete •

•

But anything “specialty” like this that’s (made on site) would probably require a team of builders to be brought to kalk to build and install, which means that it would probably be expensive. Jamie talks of a hesitation that local people have in getting into work like this

Rendering bricks an option? • Yep, and a pretty cheap way of doing things as well

• •

Incredibly expensive bc you buy it off the mining companies who charge whatever they want Eg. melbourne /cubic metre $150, in wakathunia it was >$1,000 bc of this

Gab’s Q: was wondering what the viability of pouring breeze blocks on site is if we provide the mould / design the formwork accordingly • Breeze blocks aren’t too hard to make ourselves, just what’s the benefit of making them on site? • They would be much more expensive to do this than just buying them from a factory and bringing them to kalk, rather than bringing the cement to kalk • Floors will probably have to be concrete floors for termites and bulletproofability • And keep it in the shade!! Can’t heat up in the sun all day and carry that heat over into the nighttime • • HUGE argument for cooling labyrinths and heat sinks • Embodied energy in cement sucks. • However, if you design it in a clever

Steel

•

way that’s going to last forever and is incredibly robust, then it’s good and mitigates it’s cost on the enviro over time Compressed cement sheeting 10mm thick, v tough, quite lightweight

Radiant heat? • Gotta have shade. • All things built seem to/need to incorporate the element of trees, • Through shade, size, cover, cooling effects • So you have to make roofs which cast shadows • Breeze is v important, • And you can create a stacking effect to bring the breeze through by using the heat of the roof to draw up through a “chimney” and draw cooler air in below • Can use steel framing for floors and walls, with compressed sheeting (scyon) to use as flooring, as a system which isn’t concrete but still anti-termite Alucabond • Make it look like a spaceship Recycled corrugated iron • Double RR likes it • References the landscape / material history a little bit

Stone / masonry

Water

Glass

General comments

Gab Q. if we’re considering using aggregate / stones in a gabion wall type thing would there be the right type of earth around kalk? • Yep, beautiful range of different rock sizes • And perfect rocks for gabion walls

Misting systems? Eg. at the social club? • Water tanks are problematic. • If they’re PVC & above ground, they make germs. • (this happened as the result of a gov. Grant scheme where they all were installed and then all went pear shaped) • If they’re underground, they’re expensive to install and maintain, and if the pump breaks, the reality is that nobody will fix it / they’ll just tie it into mains water anyway • James “I know it sounds really defeatist, but it seems to be the reality of the situation”

Where do you use it? In terms of smashing, using alternatives? Acrylic? Polycarb? • Everything that you build, kids are want to try to get into • “There are cups of tea and biscuits on the other side of every wall” - James 2020 • Glass just seems to have a limited life there

Labor • Confidence and competence is very low. • Fear of messing up is high • In terms of certification, you miiiight get someone with a forklift driving license or something • It’s hard because there’s an amount of money community members receive to stay at home, almost the same as what they’d get paid to work on these projects • “Not one piece of rubbish is picked up, not one thing is repaired”

Thermal mass, • You want to anchor slabs into the soil, and cool it down over the night time • Or, you forget about all of that and then build lightweight • Because you risk the thermal massing working against you if it’s wrong

What if you put weldmesh on it? • Helps, but still Why wouldn’t you just use polycarb and acryilic? • The argument is that these synthetic materials will usually last longer, from a social standpoint • So much of what you build will want to be ventilated, so if you neeeed to seal it, you’d need to have a pretty strong argument as to why you’d want to use glass

“Sweat equity” • Balance between bringing premade things into kalk for efficiency’s sake • But also for locals to be involved in the process so that they have ownership of it Louvres • There’s a house in darwin - Burnett House which is a good example of louvre design, where it doesn’t have louvres all the way up Mosquitos! • U only gotta really be able to close the

mozzies out at dawn and dusk, Thermal Mass • Would be really good to see some consideration of this in our designs, especially combined with accurate shading

“Without going there it’s really hard to convey just how hot it is, just how important shade and breeze is, how many flies there are, and how the garbage smells, and how dirty and dusty everything gets”

design development

“reverse panopticon”

- a design idea based around the phenomenon of most users of the club sitting around the edges of the fence and watching inwards, rather than under the central shade spaces provided In the first introduction that we had to the club was a description of how people behaved in the space.We were told that people would tend to move chairs around the place to sit in particular spots around the boundary of the club, and then look inwards. The purpose was a behaviour of passive surveillance, and that apparently this occurred in the community to. This behaviour became a cornerstone for the design process. Similar to following desire lines to make pathways and roads, the main design areas of my club would focus on providing for sitting around and looking in. Shade structures would be built to provide shade to these areas during club opening hours, and some solid furniture would be designed for sitting around the edge (to be supplemented by moveable furniture as well).

To add another layer to the circle, the third diagram on the right outlines the existing behaviour of children around the club. Another part of our introduction, and a key part of the brief, was to provide an outlet where children could get food from, so that they didn’t have to hang around the fence and ask the adults inside to buy it for them. Therefore, in terms of passive surveillance, the people sitting on the boundary of the club are looking inside to watch what’s going on, but also supervising kids outside. The planning arrangements that follow are a response to the idea that the family area to be developed outside of the drinking area would form it’s own half-circle, and the intent is that the passive surveillance is shared across both spaces.

Part of this is an understanding that I didn’t want to ‘interrupt’ how the club was already used in the design, or take away what people liked about it the current one.

stage and security

Phil and Double R expressed interest in including a stage for the playing of live music into the brief, to either replace Rob Roy’s music on the stereo or to amplify it louder. A difficult part of the design was deciding where to put the stage (a focal point), as it would want to be shared over both the drinking and non-drinking areas when a live band was playing. I wrestled with this for a bit because putting the stage on one side of the fence only felt as though you were shunning the other side: you put it in the family side, you’re telling the drinkers that they can’t have a beer and be close to the music, and putting it in the drinkers side seems like you’ve got a clear preference for who this space is for, considering that entertaining the kids could be a huge factor. Having two stages seemed wasteful / cumbersome, as I’d latched onto the idea early on that there would be amps locked behind the stage that artists would simply walk up and plug into. And so, the stage, where you want to be seen from, and the security box, where you want to see from, were married together. The security guards could simoultaneously watch the whole club, the people coming in, the stage, and the expensive equipment behind it.

Dealing with the consequences of that decision is something that a few of us clubbers tussled with. The stage couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be caged in (to my dismay) and so the challenge became about how you would create a physical barrier between people and the stage, that still allowed whoever was performing to be visible to all audience members. Height differences, moats, total floor level changes, and even an open stage (implying that security were close enough to create a psychological barrier for those wanting to cross) were all ideas that were tested. None of which were particularly successful in their own right. As you will come to read about during the design of the fence, the idea of keeping people physically apart whilst trying to create a space that facilitates genuine connection is incredibly difficult.

preliminary planning Building on the idea of the reverse panopticon, this page looks at the development of overall planning moves, such as the general layout of spaces and ‘places’ with which to achieve the design intent. Initial designs were rectilinear, because at this point in the process which had recently been after a consult with Phil we were all made very aware of how limited the budget was. Rectilinearity reduced the requisite for custom items, specialist sourcing and perhaps even specialist labour on site. This became a challenge in how to push the design of something whilst being frugal, how to achieve excellence from ordinary pieces. I’m reminded of the Ray and Charles Eames’ house that used stock standard parts to build a modernist legend.

The entry to the drinking area found it’s eventual location on the following two pages, as it required all members to pass through the activities outside, and being a part of that community, before spending the rest of the time in the club. Another prominent part of the brief was security. As the only supplier of alcohol in town, stories of the club being broken into were told, and it became apparent that the facilities would have to

be secure from people attempting to break into it when the club was closed, from damage to the facilities when the club is open, and airtight to stop most of the dust. Therefore, early on I employed a spectrum of security across various spaces, from fully closeable and reasonably air-tight, to lockable but with perforate steel mesh screens, to open with perforate mesh screens, to fully open. This was to

allow flexibility for the club, where the expensive facilities were safe when the security staff weren’t there, but there were still some things to do around the area if it became plausible to do so in the future, eg, play basketball or use the table tennis tables if you had your own bat / ball.

The moves made here are creating another boundary around the northern side of the club, opening it up toward the location which had been suggested by Gurindji Corp. then it was about instilling as much program into a small footprint, whilst making that program visible from the majority of the hang out areas.

note the “moat” design along the boundary between drinking and non-drinking here, it’s referenced later on in the ‘boundary’ section of this booklet.

The planning scheme for interim was successful in its solid conceptual moves, but failed in parts; mostly it’s lack of designing the existing club area, and it’s lack of engagement to the new northern boundary created by the long strip of program.

the result of the long, rectilinear form allowed for expressions of the space and program layout such as this. It becomes a message of ‘all of this under the one roof’ which I think is kind of a key selling point for the design. Here you can see the development of the ‘array’ of activity which is intended to be almost entirely perceptible when looking from the old club. As the door to enter the drinking area is located roughly opposite the centre of this section in the club, it means that the experience of this part of the design is linear, and therefore makes sense to show it in that way. You would have to walk past at least half of this building for it to get to the drinking area, and I’d hope that the same curiosity to see what’s going on the other side of the drawing (and not stop halfway) would carry on to how the space was experienced once built. Elements of this text imply a wanting for the other options of what’s going on at the club to be prevalent in the design - this relates to the conversation had earlier on in the booklet about Johann Hari’s TED Talk. There is still a dangerous area here, as it implies cases of addiction in the community that I cannot confirm exist.

pool tables

camp kitchen

table tennis

eating

fire pit

boundary

The fence that separated the drinking area and the non-drinking area was brought to our attention from consultations with both Phil and Double R, and it was one of the key points that needed to change. The idea was primarily to soften the fence, make it seem less harsh (or ‘prison like’ as I think it was referred to once) and to be able to control visibility. This was both to allow the spaces between the drinking and non-drinking areas to “bleed” into each other, to create a physical but not psychological barrier, and then to also create a visual and physical barrier where drinkers would be able to elude the supervision of their youngsters. Ideas of passive surveillance were prominent. I tried encouraging interaction, discouraging interaction, I tried to make the fence seem to be only waist height by using a moat (this was turned down for being too dangerous in the end), I tried to make the fence moveable (at the concern of moving parts meaning more maintenance), I toyed with vegetation.

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What I learned is that sometimes putting a lot of effort into trying to make something disappear actually increases its visibility. For example, the see saw can only be enjoyed by constantly acknowledging the fence. The table with

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a fence dividing the middle feels far too “visiting hours”, and the moveable fences to cordon off space at certain times I think was a bit optimistic, especially considering that the design was to be of minimal maintenance. The same thing happened with the fire on both sides of the hit and miss brick wall idea - the attempt to make it invisible only concreted the division, though the idea of sharing thermal mass was fun. I found the war with the fence very difficult. I felt too far out of my depth trying to make a commentary on how the two groups of drinkers and non-drinkers should be separated, and what this was saying about the relationship to alcohol in the community. I felt that as someone with no experience in the community that it was too hard to make, hence why the end result was probably something less ‘crazy’ though perhaps that’s not such a bad thing.

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elevation

plan

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The fence that separated the outside world from the club, however, was almost a totally different story. Here was an opportunity for celebration, of exposure, and image-making for the club, so the direction seemed a little clearer. Bower had previously done steel sheets lasercut with designs at the walk-off pavilions, so I thought that installing a similar mechanic to show off the walk off story and more broadly the gurndji people was a logical next step. I don’t think that this idea was anything radical as a few of us in the club were going in this direction, but Double R seemed to like it, and it’s really nice that this avenue was pushed further and explored in Annabelle’s concept, where she took it throughout here entire design. Going forward, it became apparent that including places for the Gurindji story to be told in objects as well as words, images, and environment would be fundamental to fulfilling a part of the brief related to community ownership of the club. A club that couldn’t be anywhere else.

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new club entrance

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shading / roof structure Considering the climate in Kalk, and that a strong part of the brief was to provide additional shade for the club, the analysis of shadows was paramount and quickly became one of the most prominent design drivers for my process. Contrary to Melbourne, as Kalkaringi is north of the Tropic of Capricorn it means that the sun ventures into the southern half of the sky during the hottest summer months, a marked change from what I’m used to designing for. The following are the numbers for solar noon on their given days, which I’ve ripped from suncalc.org: Summer Solstice: 180º Azimuth(!) 84º Altitude Equinox: 0º Azimuth 72º Altitude Winter Solstice: 0º Azimuth 49º Altitude Given that the club currently only opens at 5pm and closes at 8pm (with seemingly no intention of changing those hours, according to Gurindji

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Corp), shadows at that time were prioritised for analysis, and then shadows earlier in the day were secondary. As well as this, looking at climate reports, weather for Kalk is hot, almost all the time. Their highest daily highs in summer are around 47ºC and their lowest daily high temperatures in winter are 25ºC, which means that, though the Club will typically be used outside of the hottest parts of the day, the place needed to be protected from any unnecessary additional solar access. Wind blows predominantly from EastSouth-East through Kalk, which as it’s surrounded by desert would imply hot winds almost all of the time. Where not intentionally secured spaces underneath, shade structures are to be openable at up to 2 metres on all sides, allowing users to sit beneath the shade and have a free breeze blow through the club. Additionally, perforating the western pool room wall to allow cross ventilation through the space would allow the opportunity for reasonable cooling when it’s available.

We’ve arrived at one of the points in the design process where COVID 19 has been the most jarring. Not being able to do a visit to site has made this one of the hardest briefs to tackle. Having been to the NT only as a child, trying to feel the climate from numbers on a page has consolidated within me the knowledge that to design for a site you should always experience its climate at least one point in the year. James made a few poignant comments on this topic in our materials discussion in week 9, “Without going there it’s really hard to convey just how hot it is, just how important shade and breeze is, how many flies there are, and how the garbage smells, and how dirty and dusty everything gets.”

5pm winter solstice

5pm equinox

5pm summer solstice

And at another point in semester (the last zoom pub night) suggesting that without having been there we might as well be designing on Mars.

solar study

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As a direct response to consultation with Double R in week 4, this represents an interpretation of how a traditional technology could intersect modern construction. Spinifex grass is pressed between two perforated metal sheets and then soaked with water, creating an active cooling effect underneath the shade. Drawings on this page represent an attempt at recreating this technology in a contemporary context. And in the broader scheme of things, the continuous mentioning of the requirement for shading further illustrates how important it is to the brief and in a climate such as Kalk’s. What I learned from drawing these pretty basic structures is that there’s a yearning for these ideas to be pushed further architecturally, and continued development on what a pavilion could look like of this construction can be found in the ‘arches’ section on the next few pages.

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Drawing on elements of trying to express an ‘other’ architectural typology, as well as attempting to create as much shade at certain times of the day as plausible, the skillion roof that embedded itself into the ground was conceived as an expression of structure and roofing that lent itself to those themes. Immediately, a design that was only that (left page, bottom right sketch) became a bike ramp, so an additional member and the creation of a ‘butterfly’ roof type was made, both acting as additional shade, but primarily as an unknowing guard to the roof. Now, just as any roof, you’d still be able to climb ontop of it, but this roof seems like less of an open invite. In terms of perception of the club, this roof form becomes it’s own piece of image - making, and runs alongside the aesthetics created by the wave hill walk off pavilions. The roof greets those who are inside the club, gestures towards them, it bounces sounds of activity back into the people inside, an open gesture. The slant then recedes into the landscape, opening up the northern face, a key piece of feedback received during interim, and the beams that plunge into the footings become arms with which to wrap around small conversation pits in the area. For buildability, the structure became a sort of modified portal frame. the elements were

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all standardised, except for the tapered T-beams acting as the additional shading. This was in an attempt to ease construction and budget, as well as transportation. After discussions with Rachel and Jorja from ARUP, it was decided that the long slanted beam can have a splice joint along it if required to be broken into two beams for transportability, and that this splice joint would be located furthest from its ‘design moment’, which turned out to be just above the central column. The roof then made way for some vegetation, and water play. Lexi was harnessing the driving rains that can happen in the wet season in her design, which prompted me to consider the ‘when it rains it pours’ climatic conditions of the town. Hence, a sort of green roof was considered, though eventually cut due to the idea that it would be too difficult to maintain, and that the benefits of having one didn’t necessarily outweigh the costs of this maintenance. So the garden shifted to but under the edge of the lowest part of the skillion roof, which turned into a large rainbed that would run off towards the oval at the south of the site. This bolstered the sitting areas that I wanted to create there, as well as the idea that this side and its vegetation blends into the landscape. A vege patch could nestle into one of these arms if there was interest from community.

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Looking at how to approach the topic of ESD in this brief, using low embodied energy materials throughout the process didn’t seem particularly feasible given the cautions of their longevity in kalk (in the case of timber) and their unease of construction/requirement for additional labour (in the case of mud bricks). High embodied energy materials soon became the palette, because their anticipated durability would in the end mitigate the energy cost of creating them. Thermal comfort comes from trying to bolster that corrugated steel roof, to give it a bit of thickness as to not have the it roast throughout the day and then bake anyone who used the spaces under it. The materiality discussion with James (which I’ll mention again as I would say it was invaluable and definitely something that needs to happen for future Bower studios if it doesn’t already) suggested that the idea of lining these radiating steel elements with either marine grade ply or FC sheet would help to mitigate that radiant heat, and offset the discomfort. Other than creating shade and allowing for the built forms to breathe in the breeze, a few fans could be placed in the space in an attempt to appease those days where it might be hot and still.

tried for the design of the building, but feedback considered it not a priority in the architectural response. In the existing drinking area, shaders were placed at angles in order to maximise shading at 5pm. And at one point in the process this was resolved as having almost ‘banner’ shading, which was hoisted on big columns to pin point solve the problem of losing that shade in specific areas. These were eventually dropped, however, as they were a result of funneling to hard on the idea that everywhere had to be shaded at 5pm, and they didn’t do too much else for shading at most other times of the day.

The concept of a cooling labyrinth was

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arches, modern / traditional Following from the modern / traditional concept from shading earlier, the idea of the ‘spinifex pavilion’ was something that captured the imagination of most of the team. It eventually got called off, however when in a follow up consultation Double R expressed concerns about the flamibility of something like this, and that the last one went up in flames so this one might as well. And so the spinifex pavilion dream sort of died, but what lingered was still a search for that intersection of traditional and modern, a junction which I began to think of as a ‘neo-australian’ architecture.

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To continue the push for a different type of architecture, something that speaks of an other from kalk for the purposes of imagemaking and setting up the club to be an architectural aspiration for the community. The reason for this is probably fundamental to why I think architecture is important, I think that the spaces and structures we dwell in and around influence our perspective and aspirations, and therefore to have the opportunity for elements of architectural acupuncture in a town where the predominant architectural typology is 1970s concrete block government housing. To carry over the theme of the previous page, I wanted to explore what a critical regionalism meant for a place like Kalkaringi, and thought that choosing a form from what Double R had mentioned that also served a multitude of other purposes would attempt to push at the boundaries a little bit. The arch is supposed to be different, supposed to become associated with the club, supposed to tell you where the entrance to the club is, supposed to have playful elements of shading (as it is aligned due west), and supposed to engage with your experience of space as no other place in Kalkaringi or the surrounding towns can.

Originally, I had the arch made out of concrete block, which was intended as a play on the everyday materiality used in a not everyday manner. However, discussions with James lead to talking about the difficulties in first of all assembling the scaffolding to hold up the arch as you build it, and then having to cut each brick as it intersects the voussoirs. So pushing the design aspect of it further, and attempting to engage with shadow play, I moved on to the idea of using various perforated metal sheets on a frame. This turned the discussion with James into the viability of pre-fabricating these elements and how much it would cost and how you would install them, all of which seemed within the realm of feasibility. Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s further feedback on the arches urged me to push them more, to not design something so ordered, to deconstruct, push and pull, scale, warp etc. We discussed ideas of symbolism and how to utilise ambiguity in architecture, but I found it hard to defend further moves for purposes other than unnecessary ornament, which lead me to query how much of my design was unnecessary ornament, and further how much of architecture in general is unnecessary ornament, cue crisis.

A lot of discussion about the arch ensued from the fact that they are problematic to build.

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Additionally, the details of how these shade structures would go together began to form around interim time following discussions with tutors, and after using previous bower projects as precedent, such as the big shadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the centre of town. The sketch below is one which came out of a discussion with Jamie about lasercutting a steel curve, and then spot welding it along the centre of a similar bent steel bar to create a reasonably cheap steel T-angle to which you could fix perforated sheets to.

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seating details

The bits of furniture that were to be designed for sitting areas of the club were the result of their own set of design drivers. Like the rest of the club, they had to be incredibly durable, but unlike a lot of the rest of the club, they had to be designed specifically for touching, and flexibility. They had to accommodate the behaviours mentioned before in the (what i’m calling) the ‘inverse panopticon’ affect of the club. For locals, the tables had to be comfortable enough to sit or lean at whilst maintaining view of the happenings inside the club, an ‘introspective’ sitting arrangement. Therefore, small extrusions of the table jut out from the normal edges, so that you can lean on or have your beer sitting next to you, rather than behind you, or talk over the table to someone, rather than both leaning on the table behind.

Seating, other than large bench seats, was intended to be standardised, moveable, replaceable, and relatively inexpensive when done so. This was in response to consultations where it was said that people would move their chairs around the club as they saw fit. I thought that, despite the provision of seating around the borders of the space, that people would probably still move chairs around as they would at any bar. Therefore, the choice was made to not design anything custom for the moveable seating.

For Visitors, the seating around the boundary would assume an ‘outrospective’ stance. Whereas the key parts of traveling through the NT are admired, views through the fencing to the landscape beyond are championed, and the benches act as normal bars for which to stand or sit at and have a conversation whilst observing how the tones of the land and sky change as the sun descends behind them.

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Seating study In designing the non-moveable seating for the club that was to be around the borders, I decided to look into ‘conversational seating’. The sketches below are my understanding of precedent of furniture designs built specifically for conversation (most of them were from the era of the bourgeois and french coffee houses, it seemed, and seem to have largely dipped out of fashion (unfortunately) except for some examples of public seating in

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europe. Examples were taken from Gaudi’s two people’s chair, to tri chairs, up to four person chairs, up to long, moveable benches in a criss cross pattern (right page, left side). I don’t think that the reason for conversational seating needs to be justified other than for the proliferation of bloody good yarn. The seating study uncovered a few things: firstly, that eye contact, or even facing the relative

direction of the person you’re conversing with, was not considered one of the fundamental ingredients for a conversation. And more often than not, aspect is splayed outwards, seemingly to gain maxiumum range of the group aspects of the surrounds, rather than inwards. This was a good tick in the direction of an inward aspect for the conversationalists I was designing for. This is perhaps a trade off for the second point of note, which was that the proximity of the users heads was often kept close. In the case of the

chair for three, the heads are that which are the closest. Thirdly mutual arm rests seem to play a prominent part. Often being more than armrests, but not quite tables, they are usually very small, little areas where you could comfortably rest an elbow, lean over into conversation, have a quiet game of cards, or leave a drink. I note that I would not expect that anyone using these chairs would maintain a firm, back upright sitting posture at all times, and so the arm rest becomes a threshold

where you have the opportunity to cross over, it’s the arena, the plateau, of the conversation. This is where you make your hand gestures whilst talking, in the shared air space where both users can see. This was an interesting facet of the conversational chairs that I wanted to incorporate in the design of the chairs. Obviously they were pragmatic for resting beers, but the stories that came out of consults of card games, informal business propositions, and general sharing of photos / stories implied the necessity for these shared

thresholds in the chairs. Admittedly, I apologise for banging on for so long about essentially why it’s good to have a table next to chairs.

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And then came the pragmatics of designing the chairs themselves. In terms of materiality, concrete was mainly chosen for it’s durability, and because it wasn’t as hot as steel to touch. Steel backing and bolting was used, and the conception of designing a seemingly modular system where parts could be bought into Kalk and assembled on site seemed ideal (you can see an attempt at a modular anchor bolt layout on the blocks on the left page, top right corner). The idea of these modules that they could lie horizontal and be the arm rests as mentioned above, or they could be turned vertically and sunken into the ground to become the ‘legs’ for bar-height tables that would line the perimeter. The concrete slabs and T-angles that support them would be the same size all around, and could be fixed either as the bench, the back rest, or the bar table as required.

to understand. Where appropriate separated at enough height from the ground (termites), timber elements were used to soften the tactility of the furniture, which is handy in the sense that because they’re used in places where people are common to come into skin contact with, they wouldn’t ever be hard to get to when they eventually wither / get overwhelmed by termites.

I wanted them to be sturdy and heavy, but things that could be disassembled with the right tools and moved with a forklift (or rollers, a ute and a snatch strap) so that, just like the other more moveable chairs, the layout of these could also be changed, albeit less frequently. An attempt at creating a resilience within the design - and to not instill a solution for a problem that would take a lengthy seating behaviour analysis and consultation

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freedom day

Phil and Double R are incredibly proud of the Freedom Day Festival, an annual event which celebrates the actions of Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji people, and that occurs around the 25th of August every year. Bands and an influx of people come to Kalk to celebrate it, and the 50th anniversary of the walk off saw helicopter rides and fireworks adorning the festival that takes over this small community. The club’s role in the running of the festival is paramount. It acts as an infrastructural anchor for the stages, providing food, water, and toilets. Alcohol sales stop a day before the festival begins and resume afterwards, Though it’s only an annual event, it was very important to maintain that the design be flexible enough to accommodate the freedom day celebrations, and would act as an additional selling point to our clients that we’d considered it. On the left is a diagram explaining a designed attempt at how the audial properties of the drinking area’s shade structures would help to capture the sounds from the stage, so that revellers could eat and still feel a part of the party at the same time.

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design outcome

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The Warnkurr Sports and Social Club upgrade is to make the experience of the club a place of families, of events, a place where you can get food and a drink, a place where you can wind down after a hot day.

existing social club

The resolution which I’m proposing is captured in this diagram, where I aim to instill a lot more sports and social into the Warnkurr Sports and Social Club. The development had to represent the club as a positive experience, and shift perception of the club away from somewhere people went ‘just to get drunk’. This re-thinking of how the club represented itself in the spatial experience of it was a fundamental driver both for the clients, Gurindji Corp, and for my design process.

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new social club

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Sited in the North-Eastern corner of the town, paths to the club necessarily all come from a similar direction. This insight allowed for a repositioning of the current clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entry to the Western side of the building, and also for the viable directions for expansion to its northern flanks. The large, open space to the right of the club is an old oval where the Freedom Day Festival stages are located in August every year, which was another consideration within the brief.

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vege patch

The planning followed the analysis of existing behaviour at the club, where people would tend to sit around the fence and look inward, creating an arena of passive surveillance. Therefore, the new addition created an evern larger circle where spaces, despite being programmatically disimilar, would share visual access and bridge the divide of the drinking and non-drinking areas.

pool room

fire pit

table tennis

basketball

The stage and security entrances are placed in the centre; part of the reason for this is so that a) the stage can be seen from most areas of the club, and b) so that security can see most areas of the club. Entries from either the west, through the arches, or from the east, around the club boundary, require walking past moments of the gurindji story lasercut into fence panels. Then, to walk through the hub of activity to grab some food, play some pool, or see a band.

open kitchen

security

servery stage

servery pool room

fire pit

The kitchen now serves both sides, and can be managed by just two people.

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The first impression of the new social club is of an architectural typology different to the rest of Kalkaringi. Inspired by consultations with Double R, the arches represent a modern interpretation of a traditional form, and act as a hueristic entry to the space. The proud story of the Walk Off, and charicatures ofVincent Lingiari and other prominent stories are enscribed on the fences which face you as you enter. Before you experience the inside of the club, you are made aware of the depth of history that surrounds Kalkaringi.

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Upon entering, the club is designed to immerse you in in the activity it has to offer. To the left, the strip of program becomes visible, where people are playing games, cooking food, socialising, and having a fire. Centred is a half basketball court and an open area for small, casual games, and to the right is the stage, entry to the drinking area, and the servery where hot food, or maybe something to cook on the fire can be bought. Technically, the arch is broken up into pieces, allowing it to be prefabricated offsite and nothced into place on site. The steel angle is fabricated with 100 hit and miss welding to both sides, the different meshes are then welded to these frames.

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A main design driver for the club was the shadows which were cast at different times of the year. Studies were done for all times of the day (providing opportunities for the club to open at other times), but focused on 5pm, when the club currently opens its doors. All structure was designed to increase shadows to the main sitting areas which were located around the boundaries of the club.

5pm summer solstice

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5pm equinox

5pm winter solstice

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4:00pm - equinox

4:30pm - equinox

The arches are designed and oriented due west to to impress a constantly shifting shadow play on the main area at 5pm, when the club opens.

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5:00pm - equinox

5:30pm - equinox

As the seasons change, so do the locations and representations of these shadows, creating subtle cues and changes in the character of the space.

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The strip of program which is the predominant part of the new build embeds itself into the landscape, and allows the openness surrounding the site to flow through the planning of it. Elements of the strip are lockable in different ways, as the various programs within require varying levels of security. The pool tables and toilets are totally lockable, sealed from the dust, whilst the open kitchen is lockable with perforated mesh. Table tennis tables are secured and open, allowing anyone to play whenever theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like so long as they brought their own bat and ball. An opportunity for a vege garden to service the open kitchen and club servery nestled next to the building in the north where water run-off from the roof goes, as well as blurring the lines of where the building begins and ends by extending sitting areas and vegetation in these spots where it would grow.

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toilets 148

pool tables

public kitchen w/ vege patch behind

table tennis w/ sitting area behind

eating

mob fire / cooking fire 149

Structurally, the design is a modular portal frame, for ease of construction and prefabricateability. It is slanted to mazimise the amount of shade that can be achieved by the roof, whilst controlling water into a raingarden below. Where the roof reaches down to the ground, its beams created arms within which to have conversations around the garden. The materials used are steel, concrete, fibre cement sheeting and stone. These materials, despite their high embodied energy content, were chosen for their durability and longevity, in order to mitigate their need for replacement, and thefore outlast the consequences of their environmental impacts.

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Having discussed the system with James, the valley gutter detail that runs along the roofline of the strip is designed to guide the influx of Kalkaringi downpours off into the rain garden below, rather than being totally water tight. To increase thermal comfort below the roof, a layer of FC sheet is fixed underneath the corrugated iron roof to mitigate heat radiated off it.

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The existing social club was largely unchanged, in order to bolster what made the club good in the first place. Seating around the edges was design to flexibly host people, and shade structures were designed to cool them. A fire pit was added to the central area for mob fires in the colder months, and vegetation was added internally to soften the fences that surround the space. The fences themselves are designed to be of varying transparancies, in order to achieve visibility to the family area, whilst limiting views to specific other boundaries.

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Old meets new. The scale of the existing club is respected and the new building creates a space inbetween. New tables are designed for underneath the new shade structures, and visibility is maintained through the perforated fence at the far end in order to maintain visual connectivity with the family area. Similarly, water runoff from the new shade structures creates a rainbed and more vegetation at its base.

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The new shad structure covers most of the area to the boundary throughtout all times of the year, where designed furniture elements are located. Bands are able to come and play at the new stage area, which sits on the border, on a fence which encourages maximum visibility through to the other areas. A new, larger fire pit, acts as additional seating when not in use.

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Additionally, the club has maintained and bolstered its capacity to host the Freedom Day Festival, with additional program to entertain and increase the potential activites around the club. the new architecture acting as a proud backdrop in order to make the event and the memories made from it so much more than just a place to grab a beer at the end of the day.

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bibliography 1 Charlie Ward, 2016, “A Handful of Sand; Gurindji Struggle After the Walk Off ” Monash University Publishing 2 W.E.H. Stanner, 1934, The Dreaming and Other Essays 3 ABC,You Can’t Ask That: Indigenous Australians, 2016 4 Kim Mahood, 2012, Kartiya are like Toyotas 5 Working with aboriginal People, NDSWA 6 Daniel Gordon, 2020, The Australian Dream 7 Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, 2006, Ten Canoes 8 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report: Australian Bulletin 145:Youth Detention Population in Australia, 2018. 9 Maya Newell, 2020, In My Blood It Runs 10 Bruce Pascoe, 2014, Dark Emu, 11 The Australian, 2014, Marcia Langton’s review of Dark Emu 12 Alain de Botton, 2006, The architecture of Happiness, Penguin 13 Bruce Pascoe, 2014, Dark Emu 14 Phillip Noyce, Doris Pilkington Garimara, 2002, Rabbit Proof Fence 15 Warwick Thornton, 2009, Samson and Delilah 16 Tyson Yunkaporta, 2019, Sand Talk 17 Julia Gillard, 2020, A Podcast Of One’s Own 18 Maggie Brady, 2017, Teaching ‘Proper’ Drinking 19 Johann Hari , 2015, ‘Everything you know about Addiciton is wrong’, TED Talks

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