UQ Summer or Winter Research Project Description   

Project title:   The Feminising of Architectural Theory 

Project duration:  6 weeks  

Description:  This summer research scholarship will investigate the ‘feminising’ of architectural discourse in the late 1990s. The year 1996 saw the publication of multiple anthologies of architectural theory dedicated to questions of gender and sexuality: Coleman, Danze and Henderson’s Architecture and Feminism; Hughes’ The Architect: Reconstructing Her Practice; Agrest, Conway and Kanes Weisman’s The Sex of Architecture, McCorquadale, Ruedi and Wigglesworth’s Desiring Practices: Architecture, Gender and the Interdisciplinary and Sanders’ Stud: Architectures of Masculinity. Three of these books were published by Ivy League presses—Yale, MIT and Princeton—where many women had successful careers as architectural theoreticians. Soon after, theory lost its shine in favour of the pragmatic ‘projective’ stance of the next decade and the reification of digital technologies. It is my hypothesis that anti‐theoretical arguments feminised the theoretical project of the 1980s and 1990, or cast it as effeminate—passive, literary, vain, duplicitous. The theoretical project of the 1980s and 1990s, not just its female and/or queer interlocutors, was attacked using the very same gendered dichotomies that the previous generation had sought to expose.  

 

Expected outcomes and deliverables: 

The student will be engaged in finding evidence to support or demolish this hypothesis. The student will need to examine a large set of writings for their gendered metaphors, noting their authorship and publishing venue.   

Suitable for:  1 Undergraduates & Master students with an interest in architectural theory.     

Primary Supervisor:  

Professor Sandra Kaji‐O’Grady  

Further info:  For more information, please contact: Sandra Kaji‐O’Grady (Head of School) sandra@uq.edu.au  

 

UQ Summer or Winter Research Project Description Please use this template to create a description of each research project, eligibility requirements and expected deliverables. Project details can then be uploaded to each faculty, school, institute, and centre webpage prior to the launch of the program.

Project title: Spice House Revisited: Developing small scale transitional secondary dwellings

Project duration: The project will be split into two three week stages: in the first stage we will erect a Spice House on the property of a foster family and a second stage where we will document the process of design and construction of the Spice house into a format for exhibition and a self-published document. In order to provide flexibility for participants and to account for logistics issues we will be seeking several participants for stage one and one or two participants for stage two.

Description: The Spice house project is an ongoing project that seeks to deliver high quality small secondary dwellings that can be easily erected adjacent to an established house. The Spice house will provide cost effective transitional accommodation for extended families, foster families, and protection for people at risk of homelessness. Our Spice house program has three key aims: firstly it seeks to develop research into small dwellings and how smart design can make living in smaller spaces feel generous and comfortable. Secondly we are developing prefabrication systems that are easy to erect and that can be carried in to site, thus avoiding the cost of heavy cranes and allowing access to sensitive sites that may be difficult to access. Finally we are developing prefabrication systems that are easy to erect by semi-skilled labour. In this way the cost of erection can be shared with the new owners of the house through their own sweat equity, making the houses more affordable and providing a sense of engagement with the process and the dwelling. We have been developing designs for the Spice house for some time however thanks to an EAIT faculty Teaching Quality Enhancement grant we have been able to design and prefabricate a Spice house earlier this year and now it is time to complete the final stage of the project which is to erect the house on a site. The project site will be in the South East Queensland region and may require some travel. The aim is to erect the house in subsequent three day sessions over three weeks. Participants must be able to stay on site as travel to and from the site everyday may be impractical. Through the process of erection on site we hope to develop our understanding of the co-build process that will become an important but as yet untested component of the Spice house project. Longer term our aim is to find ways that the Spice house design and process can be disseminated through the wider public so that other groups may initiate their own Spice house projects to provide cost effective transitional housing for their community.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

The Spice house is intrinsically a team based project. Participants will develop practical construction skills, project management techniques and learn through the engagement with a real project with real clients on a real site. The second stage will involve more reflection of the process and the development of a comprehensive package of communication suitable for a broad audience. This process may involve the construction of exhibition ready models and presentation material.

Suitable for: This project is aimed at students enrolled in the School of Architecture and the School of Civil Engineering. Participants are expected to have a strong work ethic, the ability to work as a team and the capacity to cope with unexpected challenges on site. Students will need to have a basic level of personal protection equipment (PPE) that includes steel capped work boots, hard hats and work gloves. Participants should also have or be prepared to obtain a white card site safety certificate. Other PPE, tools and equipment will be provided. Those participants who want to participate in the second stage documentation activity should have a working knowledge of SketchUp, AutoCad (or similar), InDesign and Photoshop. We are looking for 3 participants for stage 1 and 1 to 2 participants for stage 2 of the project.

Primary Supervisor:

Michael Dickson

Further info: For further information you can contact the supervisor Michael Dickson via email: m.dickson@uq.edu.au

UQ Summer or Winter Research Project Description Please use this template to create a description of each research project, eligibility requirements and expected deliverables. Project details can then be uploaded to each faculty, school, institute, and centre webpage prior to the launch of the program.

Project title: Australia’s Civic Centres

Project duration: 6 weeks

Description: During the 1960s and 1970s numerous civic centres were constructed in suburban and regional centres across Australia. These buildings often combined municipal administration facilities with cultural or community uses such as performing arts spaces and often functioned as the primary civic buildings for their community. They were a legacy of post-World-War-Two public policy and investment in national building, and came at a time of confidence and optimism in the architecture profession. The resulting late modern buildings include good examples of the brutalist style in Australia and give an insight into ideas about civic expression at this time. Most buildings have not been considered on state heritage registers and their value has not been clearly defined. This research project aims to conduct a preliminary survey of this building type in Australia, collecting data on locations, construction dates, architects, building descriptions, building programmes etc., and ascertaining what historical research has been done on these buildings to date. This will be done primarily through database searches and surveys of Australian architectural journals published at this time including Architecture in Australia, and Royal Australian Institute of Architects Journals and Newsletters. At this stage the project does not include fieldwork. The research seeks to identify these buildings as a significant typology in this period of Australian architectural history; define their architectural, social and cultural value; and consider their status in the present (for example in relation to heritage value, maintenance issues, and changing need for such facilities). Research activities may include:

Conducting database searches

Surveying Australian architectural journals

Collecting and précising journal articles

Compiling research data (annotated bibliography, image library)

Ascertaining what historical research has been done on these buildings to date by consulting key known texts about community and civic architecture and Australian architecture from this period.

Identifying significant examples from the survey

Undertaking basic analysis of the research data (scope of building programme, qualities of the type, architectural features and significance)

Identifying contextual issues associated with the buildings (political and policy context, architectural debates etc.) and associated literature.

Locating archives with holdings related to the subject matter.

Identifying directions for further research.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

Participants will learn and practice skills in historical data collection primarily from secondary sources, participate in preliminary analysis of data and discussions about the value of the data and directions for further research. There may be scope to conduct in-depth analysis of a case study, and consider case studies in a contemporary context (heritage value, maintenance issues, changing needs of communities, changing ideas about the expression of civic identity). The participant will report research findings to the primary supervisor each week and may be asked to present the research to a larger audience (within the School of Architecture) at a later date. The survey may also lead to further research that the participant may be able to be involved in, including presenting and publishing the research for a wider audience.

Suitable for: 1 student with an interest and demonstrated high achievement in architectural history and theory courses in the Bachelor degree. Good library research skills are a necessity.

Primary Supervisor:

Susan Holden

Further info: For more information, please contact: Susan Holden, s.holden@uq.edu.au

UQ Summer Research Project Description

Project title: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health clinics: An architectural precedent study

Project duration: 8-10 weeks (negotiable)

Description: Background: The summer scholar will contribute to an interdisciplinary study of healthcare architecture led by the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre and the Institute of Social Science Research. The research team is interested in the effects of design on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience and use of healthcare settings. The summer scholar’s project will examine the design of Indigenous health clinics through a comparison of recent buildings from different locations in Australia. The student will attempt to evaluate the architectural responses to general and specific social and cultural factors identified in the broader research project. Aim: The student will prepare a comparative study of Indigenous clinics that analyses each architectural project against a set of design criteria. Approach: 1. Conduct a literature search on the historical and policy background to

Indigenous health clinics 2. Literature and web search to identify case studies of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait health clinics across Australia 3. Select and analyse the precedents 4. Prepare a report on the case studies.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

Scholars will gain experience in literature based data research. Research tasks will include: 1. Identification of Indigenous health clinics by scoping government

website and available literature to find examples of Indigenous health

clinics in remote, region and urban areas of Australia

2. Develop skills in architectural evaluation.

3. Produce report and bibliography for the project.

Suitable for: This project is open to applications from advanced students (eg M. Arch or BA Hons student), with a background and interest in architecture, social science and/or Indigenous studies and/or human health.

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Cathy Keys, AERC, School of Architecture.

Further info: This research will contribute to the ARC discovery grant concerned with the design of Indigenous health care settings. Supervisors wish to be contacted by students prior to submitting an application c.keys@uq.edu.au.

UQ Summer or Winter Research Project Description Please use this template to create a description of each research project, eligibility requirements and expected deliverables. Project details can then be uploaded to each faculty, school, institute, and centre webpage prior to the launch of the program.

Project title: Digitising cultural heritage: Integrating scanned images, archival materials and oral histories of the Ipswich Railyards for exhibition

Project duration: 6 weeks

Description: This project will explore how a variety of historic resources can be captured digitally and presented as an integrated exhibition. The project would suit students who have undertaken the Semester 2 2016 Master of Architecture course ARCH7003 Adaptive Capacities.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

The successful applicant would gain research skills in 3D laser scanning and modelling of industrial heritage, historic archival research and the collection of oral histories. The successful applicant would also have the opportunity to explore how these three types of digital resource can then be combined into a multi-media exhibition piece and to generate a publication from their research.

Suitable for: This project is open to one Master of Architecture applicant with competence in computer modelling and multi-media software (AutoCAD/Revit and Adobe suite etc).

Primary Supervisor:

Dr Chris Landorf

Further info: Dr Chris Landorf c.landorf@uq.edu.au

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UQ Summer Research Project Description

Project title: Vernacular Architecture of Australasia and Oceania

Project duration: 10 Weeks

Description: Background: The summer scholar will contribute to ongoing research on the vernacular architecture of ‘Australasia and Oceania’ in order to service the production of the volume by this name within the new ‘Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World’ (EVAW), as well as to build the research capacity of the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre (AERC) in the vernacular architecture field. Aim: The student will participate in the production of entries and photographs for the new EVAW and contribute to strengthening vernacular architecture research resources and researcher networks in AERC. Approach: Scholars will gain experience in the following research tasks: 1. Material culture and ethno-architecture literature-based research.

2. Search for photographs of exemplars.

3. Correspondence with authors, photographers, publisher.

4. Updating of excel spread sheets.

5. Assisting with conference planning.

Recommendations on library book purchases.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

Computerised Bibliographies.

Excel Spreadsheets for publisher.

Folio of photographs of vernacular buildings.

Recommended purchases for ARMUS Library.

Establishment of researcher network.

Suitable for: This project is project is open to applications from advanced students (eg M. Arch or BA Hons student), with a background and interest in architecture and lifeways of the peoples of Australasia and Oceania.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof Paul Memmott and Dr O’Rourke, Aboriginal Environments Research Centre, School of Architecture.

Further info: This research will contribute to the current research contract with Bloomsbury Publishing to produce the new expanded version of EVAW. Supervisors wish to be contacted by students prior to submitting an application p.memmott@uq.edu.au

UQ Summer or Winter Research Project Description Please use this template to create a description of each research project, eligibility requirements and expected deliverables. Project details can then be uploaded to each faculty, school, institute, and centre webpage prior to the launch of the program.

Project title: The working collection of Queensland architect Robin F. Gibson (1930-2014)

Project duration: 8 weeks

Description: Robin Gibson (1930-2014) is considered ‘one of Queensland most distinguished architects,’ having raised the community’s understanding and appreciation of architecture through advocacy and the consistent high quality of his public and private projects. His architectural work and career, however, remains largely unstudied. The aim of these winter scholarships is to determine the range and usefulness of primary resources - architectural plans, drawings and models – of the Queensland architect Robin Gibson (1930-2014) held within various public and private collections across Queensland, including the private collection currently held by the family of Robin Gibson.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

The summer scholars will be expected to write short texts for various projects they have identified in the archives, photograph existing buildings, develop digital 3D models of buildings that are no longer extant, conduct interviews to develop digital stories, and produce short films or digital timelines. All of this material will contribute to the development of the online qldarch.net database.

Suitable for: 2 Undergraduates & Master students within the Architecture Program (UQ)

Primary Supervisor:

Deborah van der Plaat & Janina Gosseye

Further info: Deborah van der Plaat d.vanderplaat@uq.edu.au

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UQ Summer Research Project Description

Project title: Wild Australia Show

Project duration: 10 weeks

Description: Background: The summer scholar will contribute to an interdisciplinary study of the Wild Australia Show, an historical event set in 1892-93 in Brisbane/Sydney/ Melbourne in which an entrepreneur, Archibald Meston took 32 Aboriginal people from the Queensland frontier with the intention of creating a performance troupe to show the world what ‘wild’ Aboriginal people were like before they all died out according to the popular beliefs of the time (‘doomed race’ theory). The research will contribute to a future exhibition in Queensland Museum, NSW Public Library and Victorian Museum as well as regional museums. The museum display will aim to raise a series of questions and challenge myths about Aboriginal and Islander histories, thereby contributing to Indigenous well-being and strengthening self-identity for descendants of the troupe. In particular the scholar will assist with historical research on the character of the frontier towns from near which the troupe were gathered (Boulia, Cloncurry, Normanton, Croydon, Thursday Island, Maryborough) as well as the urban character of the metropolitan performance venues, and a comparative study of the traditional campsites employed in desert, savannah, northern tropical and riverine environments. Aim: The student will prepare a set of descriptive materials (textual and photographic) on the character of the environments traversed as the performers went from traditional camps to frontier towns to the metropolitan cities of 1893. Approach:

1. General historical research on the Wild Australia Show. 2. Historical research on the frontier towns and metropolitan cities. 3. Establishment of a textual and visual database for access by partner museums.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:

1. Literature-based data research (inc. content analysis). 2. Library, museum and archival research.

3. Establishment of database.

4. Preparation of bibliography.

5. Preparation of powerpoint presentation.

Suitable for: This project is project is open to applications from advanced students (eg M. Arch or BA Hons student), with a background and interest in architecture and/or Indigenous studies and/or Australian history.

Primary Supervisor:

Prof Paul Memmott, Institute for Social Science Research and Aboriginal Environments Research Centre, University of Queensland.

Further info: This research will contribute to the ARC LP160100415 (Linkage Project). Supervisors wish to be contacted by students prior to submitting an application p.memmott@uq.edu.au