Indigenizing practice: To award, or not to award?

摘要

As the architecture profession engages more and more with Indigenous peoples across Australia, we are seeing an increase in projects labelled "Indigenous architecture" entered into awards programs. However, the current Australian Institute of Architects awards system and its assessment criteria weren't necessarily written to account for Indigenous engagement, perspectives and approaches to design. As a result, we risk awarding projects for which the engagement process or outcomes may not be appropriate in the eyes of the Indigenous community representatives who were engaged on the projects. This is especially problematic because awarded projects sit on the permanent record of what we collectively consider and portray to the world as precedents of "good design." Here, a diverse range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners and awards convenors, as well as our Maori colleagues, respond to questions about awarding Indigenous architecture.