Everybody facing Tennant Creek Local Court, Friday, July 21 - NT News

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Everybody facing Tennant Creek Local Court, Friday, July 21 - NT News

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Everybody facing Tennant Creek Local Court, Friday, July 21  NT News
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Exploring Local Material in Contemporary Architecture: PWDC Transforms Building Surfaces in Nigeria - ArchDaily

Exploring Local Material in Contemporary Architecture: PWDC Transforms Building Surfaces in Nigeria

Abijo Mosque, Lagos showing laterite texture. Image © Mujib Ojeifo

In Lagos, a city with a complex urban fabric that includes historical buildings and vast interpretations of contemporary architecture, lies PatrickWaheed Design Consulting (PWDC). This design practice, Co-led by Adeyemo Shokunbi, aims to contribute to a Nigerian architectural language through the renaissance of local materials. Through explorations anchored in local laterite, they have developed the material as a modern finishing technique, investigated its potential as a natural dye, discovered new ways to employ its thermal properties, and now build the research prospect of other local materials. I had the opportunity to speak with Architect Shokunbi, who discussed the initial inspirations and investigations during the construction of two building projects (Mad House & Abijo Mosque) in Lagos. These projects brought the Laterite finishing technique to life and now help build the case for a Nigerian architectural language.

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Abijo Mosque, Lagos showing laterite tyrolean texture. Image © Adeyemo Shokunbi

In Nigeria, building wall finishes heavily rely on hand rendering methods to achieve smooth surfaces. However, these methods may result in imperfections and undulating building faces. This was the major motivation for PWDC to initially adopt Tyrolean finishing, which textures the surfaces of buildings in the design of their projects. "We wanted to conceal the imperfections in buildings. And how did we do it? We textured the building with a rough texture," says Shokunbi. "I found that by covering those imperfections with something that is not perfectly smooth, it starts to give the building some level of credibility” He adds noting the essence of visual integrity the technique sought to provide.

Yoyinsola VGC 2016. Image © Tolu Sanusi Rubyspolaroid

Early on, the firm used the Tyrolean technique to explore darker colors that could combat the dusty nature of Nigeria's tropical climate and keep the building's finish durable. However, according to Shokunbi, this led to design questions that challenged the aesthetics and architectural language of buildings in Nigeria. “I feel that we’ve got to a stage that we should be able to have a language, an identifiable language, that is ours, based on what we have locally, not just from a material point of view, but from our understanding, and also from our response to context” he noted. He also sighted that other elements of culture, aside from architecture in the country, such as music, fashion, and arts, have a distinct and recognizable language. This became the foundation on which the firm anchored laterite as a local material and explored its use as a finishing technique for modern architecture.

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It was all about developing the consciousness of wanting to understand how we used to construct back in the day, and how we use the materials that we used to work with, and also about the responsibility that we have for our environment.

Laterite Tyrolean Texture. Image © Mujib Ojeifo

Laterite is a naturally occurring reddish clayey material that forms the topsoil and subsoil in tropical regions. It has been widely used as a building material in West African vernacular architecture, taking various forms, such as adobe bricks, traditional rammed walls, and integrated techniques like wattle and daub houses. In the Mad House project, which involved designing a stack of containers to create vocational spaces, the PWDC team first experimented with the use of Laterite. They initially used it as a simple render on a block wall but found it to be expensive to apply evenly. They then switched to the tyrolean technique and substituted parts of the mix with various ratios of Laterite to explore its spraying capabilities, bonding abilities, toning, and durability. The team began with a mix of 1 bag of cement, 1 part sharp sand, and 3 parts Laterite (1:1:3). The cement was inflated in the ratio to aid in binding. "We noticed that by adding a higher ratio of cement, we could bond the Laterite properly. However, the mixture lost its tone - you know, that very burnt earthy color - and became very pale," alluded Shokunbi.

Laterite Tyrolean Texture Ratios. Image © Adeyemo Shokunbi

As a result, a mixture of 1/2 bag of cement, 1/2 part of sharp sand, and 1.5 parts of laterite (1/2:1/2:1.5) was explored to reduce the cement content. Ultimately, a mixture of 1/4 part of cement, 1 part of sharp sand, and 3 parts of laterite (1/4:1:3) delivered a good tone while retaining the properties of the laterite. The PWDC team is still investigating the technique ratio as the consistency of the toning and bonding depends on the source of the laterite. Laterites from different locations can behave differently because of variations in their sources. This expanded the scope of experimentation and incurred new challenges when the team moved the technique to their next project, the Abijo Mosque in Lagos.

Abijo Mosque, Lagos showing laterite texture. Image © Tolu Sanusi Rubyspolaroid

During the rainy season, the team faced challenges with the technique because the finish would wash off or distort due to the rain. To address this, polyvinyl acetate (PVA) was included in the mix to bind, seal, and protect the finish from harsh weather. The mosque building is the epitome of the Laterite tyrolean technique as the finish completely wraps the envelope, creating a unique visual language. Shokunbi notes that this language is inspired by traditional Yoruba mud buildings and reflects the climate, culture, and beliefs of the people. The use of laterite in the Abijo mosque project had a significant impact beyond visual aesthetics. It contributed to the building's thermal performance by providing a cool indoor space and reducing energy consumption. With this in mind, the team explored the use of laterite in the container structures of their current projects. They used techniques such as wattle and daub to insulate the interior and developed mud ball finishes to give the containers a unique character. Additionally, they experimented with a "laterite paint" by mixing the material with PVA and applying it to the container surfaces. This made the surfaces more receptive to receiving tyrolean.

Mud balls Laterite finishing technique, Mad house, Lagos.. Image © Oluwadamilola Adams

Laterite tyrolean finish on container faces, Mad house, Lagos. Image © Jide Yeni

The Nigerian architect believes there are many more prospects to explore the use of laterite and other local materials. “It was all about developing the consciousness of wanting to understand how we used to construct back in the day, and how we use the materials that we used to work with, and also about the responsibility that we have for our environment, of trying to lower the carbon footprint,” he says. To push the development of local materials, the firm has started a new research arm called NANA Collaboratory and Workshop, with NANA standing for New Alternative Nigerian Aesthetic. They aim to start with innovative laterite panels and precast mud walls and collaborate with other architects in the country to evolve different techniques. More recently, through a collaboration with Tosin Oshinowo, her team at CmDesign Atelier, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Laterite tyrolean technique was employed in a housing scheme called Homes for Ngarannam.

Laterite tyrolean finish on container faces, Mad house, Lagos. Image © Adeyemo Shokunbi

Consequently, contributing to defining a language for Nigerian architecture is an aim of the firm. "What we want to do is find new and innovative ways of using locally-sourced materials to construct our architecture," says Shokunbi. "How can we develop that language in our architecture? What principles can we draw from our traditional architecture? How can we translate and incorporate those principles into buildings that we construct within the constraints of the city, which are absent in rural areas? How do we fuse that? How do we find a synergy? These are the questions we need to ask," he adds. The laterite exploration by the PWDC team provides a template for rethinking and redefining the use of local materials while retaining their environmental benefits with modern techniques and creating unique forms of architecture.

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Everybody facing Nhulunbuy Local Court, Friday, July 21 - NT News

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Almost 60 years after the Freedom Ride, Walgett is honouring the local mob who made it happen - SBS

A memorial to the brave efforts of Aboriginal activists in Walgett has taken pride of place in the northern NSW town.

The famous Freedom Ride saw a bus of students and activists drive through rural NSW towns in 1965, daringly calling for Indigenous rights in the face of entrenched white prejudice and oppression.

A project of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) and created by local artist Frank Wright, the memorial display was unveiled on Monday before a crowd of locals, including some of the original students and their families.

The Chairperson of the WAMS, Mary Purse, said the event was a moving experience.

"It was really overwhelming," she told NITV.

"It was really good to see that people were interested in our project."

Fighting discrimination

The bus began its journey in Sydney before driving through regional NSW towns. Source: NITV

Ms Purse (née Hall) was ten years old when that famous bus rolled through Walgett. Her father, Harry Hall, enthusiastically welcomed the travelling protest to his town, a place of discrimination for him and his people.

"He was a very active Aboriginal activist in those days," the Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay woman said.

"He led the students. There was a big gathering of local people too, about 100 of them, some non-Aboriginal people too."

Mary Purse's father Harry Hall (inset) joined the bus in Walgett, calling for Aboriginal rights there before going with the activists to more regional towns like Moree.

The protest took place in front of the local RSL club, where Aboriginal ex-servicemen had been denied entry. Signs bore messages like 'Good enough for Tobruk - why not Walgett RSL?'.

The Ride would go through Orange, Boggabilla, Inverell and down much of east coast of NSW. Many discriminatory practices, such as banning Aboriginal people from using local pools, fell away after the event.

However the immediate effect of the Ride's passage was not uniformly positive.

"[My father] lost his job," said Ms Purse.

"He was targeted as a trouble maker then."

"Then when I turned 18, I tried to join one of the clubs in town and they just totally refused me and my other two cousins.

"Because I was branded as a trouble maker too."

But Ms Purse is quick to point out the benefits she believes were a direct result of the activism.

"Because of the Freedom Ride, the Aboriginal legal services came along, the Aboriginal medical centres, the [National Aboriginal Conference]."

That history has been immortalised in a website that was also launched as part of Monday's ceremony.

Ms Purse said she is "over the moon" that the Freedom Ride is being permanently honoured, along with the work of Aboriginal fighters like Charles Perkins, Uncle Ted Fields and of course her father.

"I'm very proud of Dad ... He's done a lot."

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Everybody facing Alice Springs Local Court, Thursday, July 20 - NT News

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Victorian local government review prompts concerns about female representation - ABC News

Aspiring female politicians in Victoria are worried an overhaul of local government ward structures will block their chances of election.

Key points:

• The ward structures of 39 Victorian councils are under review

• Most councils will have to move to a single-ward councillor structure ahead of October 2024 elections

• Some groups are worried the changes will make it harder for women and minorities to be elected

Councillors in Victoria are currently elected to un-subdivided, multi-member or single member wards.

But a review commissioned by the Minister for Local Government and Victorian Electoral Commission is assessing whether 39 councils, stretching from Mildura to Port Phillip, should be overhauled to meet standards set by the Local Government Act 2020.

President of the Municipal Association of Victoria David Clark said the changes could disadvantage the election hopes of women and minorities.

According to the Act, most councils must have a single-councillor ward structure, with the local government area divided into sections represented by a single councillor.

David Clark is concerned changes to council structures will disadvantage women and minorities. ( Supplied: Municipal Association of Victoria)

"We understand that [single-councillor wards] favour the major political groupings," Mr Clark said.

"What we've seen when you have single member versus multi-member or un-subdivided is, you don't get that representation across the community.

He said across a whole local government area a single member might get enough votes but "in a single member ward, you'd never get enough [votes] to get those kinds of people on council". 

The next Victorian local elections will take place in October 2024. (ABC Mildura: Christopher Testa )

A risk of going 'backwards'

The Women for Election organisation provides training to equip women of all backgrounds to run for public office in Australia.

Along with the Institute of Community Directors Australia and the Victorian government, it runs the Women Leading Locally program — a fellowship designed to equip 125 women with the skills to campaign for local council elections in October 2024.

Chief executive Licia Heath said women already face a number of barriers to election and "a lot will be lost" if representation in local politics goes backwards.

"If you diminish the percentage of female and diverse candidates at local government, it stands to reason that you're going to diminish that in state and federal politics as well," she said.

"Within one election cycle, you can go backwards significantly."

A Victorian government spokesperson said the recommendations of the advisory panel were being reviewed by the minister in line with the review process.

Campaigns to come

Andrea Otto has been participating in the Women Leading Locally program and is preparing to run for election in her local shire of Gannawarra, which encompasses Kerang and Cohuna in northern Victoria.

Andrea Otto believes wards are a problem for local government representation. (Supplied: Andrea Otto)

The council area is currently divided into four wards, with two represented by multiple councillors. One of the seven councillors is a woman.

Gannawarra Shire Council could become un-subdivided under the review. The other proposal is for two wards with three councillors in each.

Ms Otto believed the wards were "part of the dysfunction".

"We don't need any wards. We want one ward, and that's Gannawarra shire."

She said anything that could reduce the diversity of representation on councils in Victoria needed to be carefully considered.

"We need all councillors to be working together collectively in order to achieve great things for our community," Ms Otto said.

A potential 'opportunity'

Teagan Mitchell, 20 is campaigning for election to the City of Greater Geelong next year.

Teagan Mitchell said the restructure could be an opportunity. (Supplied: Teagan Mitchell)

Ms Mitchell said there was "obviously some issues with going to the single member wards" but "we don't know until we try it".

"I see it as an opportunity rather than a threat," she said.

"It's not perfect, and you're not going to please everybody."

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