The UNESCO Observatory Multi-Disciplinary Research in the Arts Activities
The Gichocho Project : Health and Education (2008)
Over the last few years of our architectural education, interest has mounted in cross-cultural projects. Inspired by the stories of fellow students, other architects and
university studios, we saw how these cross-cultural interactions could promote new relationships and new ways of thinking. When the opportunity presented itself to
join a research and design project in Kenya, eight students volunteered to put to use their skills learnt at university. The project to design a much needed Health and
Education Centre in the village of Gichocho 15km North of Nairobi had long been envisioned; the design work would be the first step for it to come into being and facilitate
fundraising.
Education in Kenya is of critical importance to empower and realise the full potential of each person. Although secondary education from this year (2008) became free, Kenya lacks the infrastructure to provide places for all students. Many primary school students graduate and have no further education, forcing them to the street in search of odd jobs. A new Vocational Training Centre which is itself economically sustainable, will help to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the young to create a market for themselves. A new Health Centre seeks to fill the gap existing in the health sector in open health education and counselling.
Download the full project thesis (15 MB)
Field Trip to the Cook Islands (September 2006)
This field trip for students of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, focused on a real architectural project - the design of the Ministry of Education in Rarotonga. The project brief was developed with a specific focus on cultural and environmental issues important to the people of Rarotonga, in all stages of the project. The project, involving traveling to the Cook Islands and gathering information first hand, was an initiative of the UNESCO Observatory - the Outpost of the University of the South Pacific - established within the Faculty, and the Ministry of Education in Rarotonga.
Involving expansive research by students for adequate familiarization with contextual issues, the project required rigorous efforts from all participants in the recognition of culture-specific architectural concerns and realization of the same through their proposed designs. As a team, along with the subject coordinator and nominated other staff, they defined and developed the precise nature of subject matter to be investigated, obtained, confirmed or expanded upon in the field - i.e. the Cook Islands.