As a proud member of Australia’s Aboriginal community, which rests on more than 80,000 years of Indigenous architectural tradition, Marni Reti finds the Eurocentric nature of architectural programs in the country particularly jarring.

A Master of Architecture from UTS, Marni’s journey into the architecture profession was quite accidental. Switching from an arts degree to architecture based on a suggestion from her mother, she joined the architecture program at UTS, and ended up loving it.

Today, Marni works with Kaunitz Yeung Architecture, a Sydney-based practice known for delivering architecture projects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As one of just a handful of Indigenous architects in Australia, she is using her education, skills, talents and voice, not only to mainstream the country’s rich Indigenous architectural traditions in education and practice, but also to be a role model for young members of the Aboriginal community who would be inspired to pursue an architectural career.

Marni was named the Emerging Sustainable Architect/Designer at the 2022 Sustainability Awards, a remarkable achievement for the young woman who has, in a short span of two years, created a place for herself in the industry.

“I kind of threw my hat in the ring to do architecture at UTS”

“I didn't know any architects growing up, I didn't really know what being an architect meant or what it involved; I went in really blind off a suggestion,” recalls Marni.

She used the Jumbunna Pathways Program at UTS to enrol in the Bachelor of Architecture program in 2015. Though UTS had an excellent Indigenous support network, she was one of the few Indigenous students there. Having grown up in an urban Indigenous-centric community, and attended schools that predominantly taught Indigenous history and very little colonial history, it was quite unsettling for her to see Indigenous history and architecture being ignored in the University’s curriculum.

“I found that very jarring,” she said. “That experience of going to Uni and being so far removed from what I was familiar with, and what I was used to learning, I felt like there was a really big hole.”

On her accolades inspiring young Indigenous people

One of the inaugural recipients of the prestigious UTS Droga Indigenous Architecture Scholarship, Marni was also named the Emerging Sustainable Architect/Designer at the 2022 Sustainability Awards.

While admitting she has conflicting feelings about being awarded and recognised, Marni agrees it also enables her to actually help her community, and give other kids access to the kind of education that she was fortunate enough to have.

“I hope I can be really gracious and thankful by making sure that I'm making as much space for other people as possible. A lot of it is about representation – seeing somebody that looks like you and is winning awards in this discipline or in this industry might inspire some young Indigenous girl to think maybe she could do that too.”

Marni’s dream project...

As a child, Marni attended a long day care in Redfern – a purpose-built facility started in the 1970s for Aboriginal kids, and entirely run by Aboriginal women. “It really formed the foundation of my identity as an Indigenous woman and who I am as a person. This long day care was built on the structure of Indigenous kinship systems,” she said.

Marni’s dream project would be an opportunity to design an Aboriginal long day care. “Working really closely with operators that are Indigenous owned in the same systems would be a really beautiful way to round out my life to design something that is reminiscent of my experience and was so important in shaping my identity. So yes, an Indigenous long day care run by women would be my dream.”

From Eurocentric to Ethnocentric architecture

“I see architecture that’s ingrained in Country and cultural knowledge being really specific to Australia. It’s unique and we should be celebrating this culture that all Australians should be proud of.”

As a student of architecture, Marni was taught architectural history focused on ancient Greece, Rome and Europe. While learning this history is an important foundation of architecture, it's not Australian, she says. “There is a super complex rich depth and history of Aboriginal architecture in this country and regionally specific architecture, but you don't learn about that at all. I think we should be learning about that in the early stages in our education so that we can be applying regionally specific architecture to Australia that isn't purely Euro-centrically influenced.”

According to Marni, Aboriginal architecture really works with the natural climate and materiality of Country and it responds to Country very closely. Therefore, Australian architecture should be grounded in Indigenous history, she adds.

“Indigenous-centric designs or architecture that is appropriately designed with Country is intrinsically sustainable. It's a sustainable way of living; when you're designing with Country, you're designing for the appropriate climate in that place. I believe Australian architecture can be more than the colony of Australia.”

To get there, Marni believes one will need to speak to the elders in the Aboriginal community, who come with the wisdom of having taken care of this massive land for thousands of years.

Australia’s evolving design sector

One important change Marni has observed in recent years is the increasing acknowledgement of respecting Country and Indigenous cultures, and what they have to offer the world, particularly in architecture. She, along with Kaunitz Yeung, is actively involved in helping the UTS expand their Indigenous architecture curriculum, and hopes to see this taken to the next level in the educational space. Similarly, there is a lot of change in the industry, one of the significant developments being the ‘Connecting with Country’ draft framework co-authored by Dillon Kombumerri from the NSW Government Architect’s office, and which is being used as design guidance by several architectural practices.

While Marni foresees challenges in terms of designing with Country, she hopes the industry will find appropriate ways to deal with it. “I think it's a baby step of what is going to be a very long road. I just hope that there are more Indigenous architects coming through.”

Eventually, Marni would like to pursue a PhD program in Indigenous architecture with the ultimate goal of teaching a history subject at universities that all architecture students have to do in their undergraduate years.

For the full interview, visit our podcast with Marni Reti here.

Image: https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/alumni-and-supporters/news/new-gift-inspires-indigenous-architects

Branko Miletic

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