Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
a concept applauded by Rapoport (1989) in
which the past becomes part of the present
as a guide to the futrue. Innovation was also
reflected in the archtectural designs’ ability
to reuse the materials of ruined buildings
– plundered bricks, which were cleaned
off; broken, hard materials were used as
aggregare in foundations, door handles
fashined from the original jail bars were
reclaimed from the site. These innovative
ideas also aided in the sustainability of the
project as a whole (Cooke, 2009, p. 22-26).
Encapsulating the values of the society
surrounding the building, the architects
decapitated the myths which surrounded the
eucalyptus plantations’ sounds - which were
found to be wind-induced. The mysteriously
encoded culturally determined symbols, which
are usually only read through the acquisition
of knowledge, which is frequently inaccessible
to all but the privileged elite: to shamans,
medicine men or priests, (Oliver, 1987, p. 170)
were therefore decoded by the architects.
The brave steps taken into the traditional
belief systems, added to the strength of the
symbolism: a bridge to the changes within,
into a community meeting place and financial
service hub (Cooke, 2009, p. 23-24).
The plantations became the primary source
of training for the locals - who were set out to
manufacture economically-sound eucalyptus
and pine doors and windows. Local residents
were trained to fell trees, strip and borontreat
the timber and cure it in a solar kiln for
use in the structure as ceilings, screens and
ventilators (Cooke, 2009, p. 23-24).
3.1.5. Apprenticeship
From the start, the Centani Greenshops
Financial Services Centre recognized the local
indigenous people as pivotal agents necessary
for the implementation and long term success.
Respect for the locals autonomy and regular
consultations with the builders about the
project aimed at scheduling, consequently
strengthened the internal ties and coordinated
efforts of the professional association.
The project provided locals with valuable
opportunity to acquire practical experience
in restoring the old building and fostered
skills that would hopefully be inculcated in
successive generations of builders (Marchand,
2006, p. 50).
The transmission of knowledge and the
negotiation of identities and boundaries
that takes place through the system of
apprenticeship have allowed the local people
to sustain standards and has enabled them
to continuously create a meaningful built
environment within the region. Such a built
environment is inherently dynamic, “while
remaining rooted in a dialogue with history
and place” (Asquith, 2006, p. 8). Crucially,
this dynamism needs to be taken into account
when considering the sustainability of the
building tradition (Asquith, 2006, p. 8).
The Greenshops Financial Services Centre
was developed beyond the mere site and
the architects were well aware that the
potential success of the project would be
determined by the local skill - passed down
through generations - and social acceptance
of the new buildings. Workshops with local
chiefs and cultural leaders, to include their
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