Tony Watkins

Allan Rodger photo

Allan Rodger photo

Allan Rodger photo

Allan Rodger photo

In the 1970s a demonstration mud-brick hut was built in Maryborough, Australia. Over the next thirty years this led to more than a thousand people building themselves a house, instead of waiting for someone else to do this for them. In 2011 a Permaculture group restored the hut to celebrate what had been achieved.

All this was such a contrast to the total failure of Talbot Park in Glen Innes, New Zealand. This was an area of state housing which had become run-down over the years. 80% of the residents were unemployed. All they needed was a dynamic architect to inspire them and to give them the skills to do the job. After learning how to improve their own built environment they would have been able to enter the workforce to help others.

Instead the unemployed were moved out, their houses were mostly demolished, and then architects and contractors moved in to create new dead buildings.

Then the unemployed were moved back in, to continue with their life of despair. No one learnt anything from the whole sad exercise.

In 2011 there were protests from people just down the road who did not want the houses they had lived in for 40 years demolished. No one was listening. People with power think they know what is good for other people, or perhaps they are just too afraid to empower other people and lift them up. Most architects do not see what they do.

The Maryborough hut was inspired by Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian architect who devoted his life to helping the poor to build an environment for themselves which had not only the quality admired in the houses of the wealthy but also precious extras the wealthy could not afford. Fathy understood that light and space come free so that money can get in the way of good building. When you cannot afford formwork you need to build with love and joy instead. Dignity follows, as people stand tall, and take control of their own lives.

Architects who see buildings as nothing more than beautiful objects and exquisite works of art have lost the plot. It would be useful if the NZIA could give one award each year to real architecture, if only to provide an alternative to architectural objects.

Hassan Fathy - Dar al Islam