Papers
Resetting agendas a conference in a climate of change
Published in 'Architectural Research Quarterly,' 12 , pp 209-212
Reflections on the Oxford Conference 2008
As its title suggests, ‘The Oxford Conference 2008: 50 Years on – Resetting the Agenda for Architectural Education’ aimed to influence architectural education. Five decades ago, in 1958, fifty delegates representing British members of the profession, industry and teaching institutions attended the first and only other Oxford Conference on Architectural Education organised by the RIBA. Several visitors from abroad and from Commonwealth countries also attended. The 1958 conference articulated the demand to shift architectural education from polytechnics or art schools to universities, and fifty years later the notion that we live in a ‘climate of change’ permeated Oxford Conference 2008 (Oxford 2008). With delegates from forty-two countries representing every continent there was a manifest change in the composition of the delegates, and on the face of it this would suggest that a more diverse attendance made a difference in the spectrum of issues coming to the forefront: but did it?
Like (3)Victoria’s Bushfires: time to reflect new urban strategies
Published in "Architects for Peace," February 2009. Published in "Planning News," March 2009
By now most of you will be familiar with the natural disaster that affected the State of Victoria in Australia. Although it is believed that some of the fires may be the work of arsonists, this is a natural disaster in the sense that it was triggered by an dreadful combination of climatic conditions such as a very dry season, thick and dry native forest (bush) in country Victoria and around Melbourne’s periphery, strong winds and an unprecedented heat of up to 48 degrees Celsius. As these harsh climate conditions with its disastrous consequences become more frequent, Australian authorities and politicians are now quick to name climate change as a contributing factor.[1] In view of a future increasingly exposed to a harsher climate, calls for the review of emergency laws, the upgrading of fire evacuation plans and building regulations are been considered. However, are these expedient responses dealing with the complex issue of suburban and outer suburban living?
Developed – Developing: Dialogical Integration in International Conferences
I recently came across a question posed by Dr. Ashraf Salama in his website. Dr Salama asks, “Conference Attendance: Do the Developing have Something to Offer the Developed?”[1]
The question is interesting because it may not be possible or prudent to try and answer it without first understanding the conditions imposed by the notion of ‘developed’ and ‘developing’. Can an answer be attempted without questioning this dichotomy? And as Dr Salama rightly points out, if there is more than ‘something’ already offered by poorer countries, what has prevented an even larger contribution and due acknowledgement? Dr Salama illustrates the question by providing some examples. He notes a low level of attendance to international conferences on the part of developing countries. He also notices that when people from poorer countries attend, there is an “implicit assumption that they go to learn”, rather than to share their knowledge or, why not, even teach. Dr Salama however claims that there may indeed be a lot of learning coming from the ‘developing’ world but that it is not appropriately acknowledged. For example, he claims that much is learnt from the developing world in matters of conservation, ecological design practices, historical analysis and education.
The Buka–Hatene Community Learning Centre: Community Building in Timor Leste Cancel Spinner_small
B. Maturana, “The Buka–Hatene Community Learning Centre: Friends of Baucau’s Project to Rebuild a Community Building in Baucau, Timor Leste”, Estudos de Línguas e Culturas de Timor-Leste, vol.7, 2005
The Buka-Hatene (Want to Know) Community Learning Centre is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the Friends of Baucau to date. The process of development of the centre brings about many questions regarding the depth of our (Australian) knowledge of the Timorese nation and about our capacity to embrace it without impositions on our part. This paper aims to evaluate the process of realising the Buka-Hatene Community Learning Centre project in the context of the cultural, environmental and economical realities of Timor Leste.
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