Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia

In 2021, Performance Criteria relating to Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures were introduced by the Australian architectural profession in the National Standard of Competency for Architects. This Indigenous-led research project will determine the efficacy of these criteria by interacting with key stakeholders to collect critical information for the 2025 iteration of Competencies and provide important observations for the profession. 

Their efficacy and impact of these criteria are currently undetermined - for example, we are uncertain of how communities and practitioners actually interpret key design criteria in real development projects, and whether they have reached mutual understanding. This study will produce a longitudinal dataset to support the architecture discipline to better understand its interactions with First Nations Cultures and Communities. 

The findings will both enhance educational and professional practice in the built environment and deliver far reaching effects on the qualities of infrastructure across all disciplines associated with architecture. This will benefit Australian society by promoting investment into architectural processes that consider cultural competency and deepen dialogue between Country and First Nations Communities, and the built environment sector to achieve enriched public returns.

The project is funded through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Indigenous Project  scheme under the number IN240100037