Australian Building Styles and Culture Research -NGO

Having European influences is a nice thing as Australian heritage. Australia has European heritages because most Australians have the European backgrounds. Australian cultural heritages are special to Australian people and good to preserve. Nobody want to build like these things anymore but they have history to tell. Every building has a story to tell but national heritages have special stories worth to learn from and taken into a new phase. They are there and should be around for as long as a country exists. It must have resources to maintain them even if they are in expensive locations good for redevelopment ideal for economic application. Even if nobody visits these sites, they should exist because they have histories. A country should keep producing such special buildings as its culture. However, it's not enough only to have special buildings.

It would be wonderful if there is an non governmental organization focusing on building styles in Australia and its primary work is the research and design development on architecture and building types for Australian culture and Australian conditions because every people and every country should have unique culture, style, ideology and identity formed with culture, style and ideology that the entire nation can identify itself with. There are real advantages in having such identity.

A country can choose to have own cultural styles and ideology. Some countries deliberately gave up their identities. Some countries have been forced to compromise and accept foreign identity.

Some countries reestablished their identity after they lost it to certain ideological influence and avoided from being controlled by a foreign authority. Some countries avoided losing their identity by manipulating or creating the counterfeit version of the outside influence which was too powerful to defy. Why did they do that?

There are real advantages in having own identity. It is about the maturity of a country. It displays the cultural development, rich ideology and the real strength of its people. Identity employs the people so it's economically necessary. Identity moves the people with cultural activities. Identity gives the strength to the unity of a people so they can last long as they have the ideology and chauvinism to defend themselves. Identity represents a people who they actually are. It is cultural identity. It is more meaningful than I can ever think of.

Uniqueness has made some cultures to be respected, to come and learn from and to be pursued and followed. It is good for the people who have them in terms of acceptance and economy. Identity can unify a people of different groups. It is not impossible to make a different group to follow another group's identity. However, if only a common identity is there for them, they could be more united.

Instead of borrowing styles from all over the world, it will be great if the people are interested in having their own unique designs, architecture and building types. It is a bad habit only to borrow and not developing own because copying doesn't make self esteem but the opposite. The whole world but some have little to show off their cultures. Yet, it's still a time when copying is rampant.

Australia is a very special country in science and knowledge. It can have its own unique designs not found elsewhere. Naturally such distinction in culture is a gradual process. Moving the whole country is not simple and easy. But there is easier one to start with. It is home design which the Australians can gradually adapt. This is by no means making a point that existing designs and styles are inferior.

Not driven by economy and commercial interest, a non profit organization can exist to be developing new building designs just right for Australia with Australian features if the governments and the industry are helping, especially ABCB. This can produce some Australian designs. It can also produce architects and building designers specializing in such designs. Not just adapting BCA but also developing designs can be beneficial in long term.

To employ young designers and students of architecture for work experience and further training in environmental and cultural education, solely about Australia with its regional context, this organization will become very supportive and a very important employer. If it employs, with award level wages, many new designers will find something to do, have experience and earn. It's possible to employ a hundred or more graduates both from TAFE and university. If all states and territories support this organization in their own areas, they can give jobs to new designers. These designers will one day produce very fine cultural artifacts. Instead of becoming unemployed and live of newstart income, the federal government can employ these youths with the same amount of support. It is possible to attract some of the best students and (retired) professionals.

Multiculturalism is good. However, it shows the lack of commonness or the identity which represents all. The identity that is justified to represent all should not bias.