Abstract
The recent architecture of Indigenous-focused early learning centres across Australia, Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand appears to share design goals. These centres strive to produce an inclusive design that considers the diversity of languages, cultures, age and other points of human difference. The early learning centres attempt to create a place that meets the needs and desires of Indigenous families and their children. The architecture goes beyond the mere housing of specific services to promoting better health and education through the design of shared learning and play spaces. Three comparative case studies examine the parallels and differences in the design process in these three distinct countries.
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Notes
- 1.
‘Deadly’ is an Aboriginal English term which translates to ‘really good’ or ‘impressive’ in standard English (Malcolm et al. 1999).
- 2.
These teachings share traditional values on human conduct and encourage mutual respect for one another.
- 3.
The term ‘Whānau’ in Māori is often understood as the genealogical and multi-layered ways in which values and traditions are connected both through the immediate and extended family. Importantly, Joan Metge notes this extended family, in her words, a ‘large family group’—comprises of multiple generations and families related by descent from an ancestor (Metge 1995).
- 4.
The term ‘tapu’ is generally translated as ‘holy’ or implying a ‘state of sanctity’ but according to Metge, the word is also used to describe the ‘degree of hapu-ness’, that is, the degree of religious or ceremonial restrictions on objects, places, people and actions (Metge 2004).
- 5.
Deidre Brown, in her work Māori Architecture: from fale to wharenui and beyond, describes the Māori meeting house as synonymous to Māori architecture . Brown writes of the importance of siting/situating the house to face the east—to the sunrise. This feature, among others considered by Brown, can be seen reflected in Mana Tamariki’s architectural design (Brown 2009).
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank the staff at Bubup Wilam, Hayball Architects, Urban Initiatives, Chippewas of Rama First Nation Early Childhood Education Centre, Teeple Architects, Tennent Brown Architects and Mana Tamariki School, for their time in sharing valuable information about each Early Learning Centre’s background and design process.
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Kreutz, A., Loebach, J., Kidd, A.N. (2018). Indigenous Architecture of Early Learning Centres: International Comparative Case Studies from Australia, Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand. In: Grant, E., Greenop, K., Refiti, A., Glenn, D. (eds) The Handbook of Contemporary Indigenous Architecture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6904-8_33
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