A group collaborative effort has birthed Melbourne Architours: guided architectural tours in the Melbourne CBD by those in the industry. It is run by myself, Mark Skiba – landscape architect with Tract Consultants, and Andy Fergus – urban designer at Hansen Partnership and current architectural student. We have banded together to showcase all that Melbourne has to offer by devising 3 different tours within the Melbourne CBD:

• Settlement to Marvellous Melbourne
• Federation to Art Deco
• Modernism to Contemporary

These will be run monthly at $30 a pop per tour, with a coffee or a beer (depending on the time of the tour!) at the end to discuss the built environment with tour attendees. This, for me, is the most valuable time to engage with the public and hear their thoughts about the evolution of the city and the discourse of architecture.

Check us out at Melbourne Architours.

I’m doing these tours for a reason, and you need to know where I’m coming from. I’m a big proponent of the architectural profession and the value of its services to produce shelter that exceeds the client brief and is responsible for the sustainability of the planet, housing affordability through clever design (not excessive specification of products), education to the client about new models of housing and possibilities of social/familial interaction for a changing demographic. I believe good architecture should address social, environmental and economic factors simultaneously.

For this reason, I am appalled to think that 3% of all new housing in Australia is designed by architects. I was taken aback to learn that the average Australian house size is 216sqm. In saying this, I was pleased to witness the amount of people that flooded through the doors of Lyons, Hassell, Bates Smart and other architectural offices during Melbourne Open House earlier in the year. People are interested in architecture, yet the average person still views it as a luxury profession for the elite. These tours, in the simplest way, are intended to bridge the gap of architecture by communicating it to the general public, making it accessible, relatable and understandable. I don’t believe this is dumbing it down or discrediting the intellectual thought that has gone into each building design. If more people are aware of the value of architects, then more people would be inclined to use them. The discussion at the end of the tour is the real gem.

A team of 16 people from all over Australia converged in Phnom Penh at the start of July to undertake a building adventure as part of a Global Village team for Habitat for Humanity. Armed with only garden gloves and no power tools, we engaged with local skilled workers, future home owners, Cambodian Habitat staff and loads of other locals to put together these two houses brick by brick (FYI, I was crowned best brickie!).

These houses were only 54sqm – the size of a good one-bedroom apartment in Australia. To put this into context, the average house size in Australia is over 200sqm – we have officially overtaken the US in housing obesity. In Cambodia, 54sqm is for an extended family – parents, kids, grandparents, cousins, aunties, uncles, etc. Sewerage is via septic tank that gets pumped from time to time. Water is delivered via large vats into stone jars, and there is no gas – cooking is done using camping-style stoves with refillable butane canisters. Electricity is provided through low slung overhead wires.

Having said this, the difference of their new house compared to the old slum village is vast. Slum lords would require payment of rent of $5 per month for their elevated house above watery land. The one-room self made shack of found materials (the only purchased materials is corrugated roofing) is made from bamboo and green timber branches, ventilated bamboo floors, sheets of hessian, tin and other gems for walling. Electricity is also supplied here at an inflated rate; the bathroom and toilet is outside next to the stone jar of water.

An amazing experience with an equally amazing team of Australians – no egos, no bragging, just a few mates hanging out to build a house. Couldn’t recommend it more – thanks for the memories guys! Hope it leads onto even greater things – the best is yet to come.