Indigenising Practice

Every 5 or so years the definition of what it means to be an architect is reviewed and updated. This document is called the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA).

The NSCA determines what competencies Architecture schools need to teach, what you will need to prove when you decide to register as an Architect in Australia and what ongoing learning you will need to undertake throughout your Career.

For the first time ever, the NSCA includes criteria that are First Nations Specific. Meaning, that what it means to be a competent and responsible architect now includes having an understanding of Country, Culture and Community and your responsibility to them.

Every Architecture school in Australia is currently going through a process of decolonising and Indigenising their curriculum, as are we at Monash Art Design and Architecture.

The intent of the Indigenising Practice Studies Unit is to delve into each of these new criteria, week by week, to develop broad understandings about the ways they apply to architectural practice. We will undertake taks that are self contained, and others that link in with your studio projects in order to prepare you for entering a changing architectural profession.

Indigenising the curriculum does not happen overnight, therefore we encourage students to apply for this unit who are interested in informing how Monash Art Design and Architecture incorporates and centers Indigenous content, perspectives and voices into the curriculum in the ears to come.