Talking up and speaking out: Activist and advocate
The Marketplace student conference in Brisbane in 1979 attracted more than 600 student delegates to join in the five days of discussion of ideas, opportunities, concerns, dilemmas and architectural endeavours. Hosted by The University of Queensland and the Queensland Institute of Technology (now QUT), many of the keynote speakers were from overseas, including Bill Mitchell (USA), Paul Oliver (UK) and Pancho Guedes (South Africa). Among the opening presentations by international and interstate architects, a highly informative if somewhat parochial session was presented by Don Watson and Richard Stringer, titled “Queensland from the general to the particular.”
Don articulated and defined the key qualities, characteristics and history of the Queenslander house type, and of the use of timber in Queensland buildings – much of which would have been new to many of the delegates. Further, he and Richard illustrated the virtues of the idiosyncratic, exposed timber framing to be found in early Queensland buildings arising from research undertaken for the National
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days