Technology on Country:

Shelter, Housing and Buildings

 

In order to truly thrive on country, our people need homes and buildings to live in and work on. Building and maintaining infrastructure on country is a dream for many groups wanting to connect and remain connected with country. The challenges of building remote are extensive. Costs for materials and imported labour are often extremely high, meaning alternatives to mainstream approaches to building and design are often needed.

Over its long history, CfAT has supported the development of remote community buildings from our VIP pit toilets to ranger bases, housing, community buildings, and even entire communities. Through its meaningful projects, CfAT works to ensure its finished structures use appropriate technology and processes to ensure they are community-focused, sustainable, low-cost, durable, and utilise local labour and materials as much as possible. 

Community participation and involvement in codesign and construction are critical to ensuring buildings are appropriate, able to be maintained locally, and meet the needs of people living on country.

 
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Resources

Case Studies

  • Marrja Bayan Project: Open-source designs for a self-built outstation on country using bush timber.

  • Lama Lama Ranger Base: A project, in partnership with Engineers Without Borders, that built a new ranger base on country for the Lama Lama people.

  • NT Homelands and Outstations Assets and Access Review: In 2016, CfAT undertook an audit of over 400 of the approximately 650 homeland outstations and minor communities in the Northern Territory.

  • CMFHIAC Ranger Base: A project supported by pro-bono engineers from Aurecon to design a ranger base for the Cape Melville, Flinders & Howick Islands Aboriginal Corporation.

  • Utopia Homelands Project: A project to homelands housing around Utopia using extensive participatory management and local labour.

  • Olkola Cultural Knowledge Centre: Supporting the Olkola people realise their vision for a cultural knowledge centre and ranger base on country, in partnership with the University of Melbourne, and Monash University and Arup Group.

  • Bana Yarralji Bubu/Shipton’s Flat Ranger Base: A Reconciliation Award-winning project to design and build a ranger base and associated essential services in the rainforest on Kuku Nyungkal country.