Bower Studio retrospective: 2008 - 2019

Working closely alongside communities has allowed the studio to address specific needs and concerns that may otherwise have been overlooked in a more conventional program. Dr David O’Brien, Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Bower Studio program creator, explains how the initiative has evolved over the last 12 years.

How did Bower Studio originate?

When I began teaching postgraduate studios I realised that there was a great deal of potential for addressing some really interesting and difficult design problems. I had just finished my PhD looking at community development in Thailand and had some ideas about how we could link our students with community groups, as well as Thai universities, and how we could examine the use of new construction materials alongside traditional ways of building to meet the new aspirations emerging from marginalised communities.

Together we completed a project which might have been a one-off, but the students and staff really enjoyed it and the community did too. We all learned a lot from undertaking a ‘live project’. The university recognised the value of the project which encouraged us to think more broadly about other possibilities. I was initially wary about testing the format in remote Australia but some really terrific Indigenous partners encouraged us forward. From this we have also worked with some fantastic communities in Papua New Guinea.

How has the program evolved over the 12 years that it has been running?

Initially, our design responses were very pragmatic. We were focused on addressing the functional needs as described by the client and from our own observations. We would respond by thinking about site, climate, shade, views and the logistics of building in remote locations which we could discuss very clearly with the client.

More recently we've built deeper understandings with some of our clients and can tackle problems in a more sophisticated way. We've dedicated more time to these clients, listening and learning, and we've been able to accommodate a lot of their stories into the designs. In many ways we are building upon our pragmatic approach to incorporate design ideas that include some of the complex narratives and symbolism shared with our team. We have gained a deeper knowledge of the histories and aspirations of the community and how this can be translated into built form.

Participating in Bower Studio has been really fascinating, and it has taught us a lot. It has given us the confidence to ask more interesting questions and provided the communities with opportunities to feel comfortable sharing more complex answers in return. The stories behind many of the buildings are richer and the architecture more complex. The evolution of Bower Studio is very much tied to the relationships built with the communities.

What is a recent example of that type of symbolic element in a project?

The Wave Hill Walk-Off pavilions commemorate the path taken by Vincent Lingiari and 200 Indigenous stockmen and their families when they walked off the Wave Hill Cattle Station protesting against the work and pay conditions in 1966.

We enjoy working with the Gurindji people as their projects allow us a deeper level of understanding to work with. We still have to keep in mind all the pragmatic considerations, but it's a more complicated design process that we're working with now. That makes it much more challenging and enjoyable.

The Wave Hill Walk-Off pavilions commemorate the path taken by Vincent Lingiari and 200 Indigenous stockmen and their families when they walked off the Wave Hill Cattle Station protesting against the work and pay conditions in 1966.

The kids from the local school were in the process of painting murals on the outside of the shipping containers we'd used as part of the building’s structure. The murals were fantastic, the kids were really engaged, the teachers were really enthusiastic.