First Nations Australian Architecture

This lesson plan has been developed in collaboration with the CSER team, University of Adelaide.

In this lesson, students explore First Nations Australian architecture – in particular dome dwellings – and put a 3D twist on it with their own architectural creation. They:

• investigate and explain how and why First Nations Australians’ dwellings are oriented in the environment to accommodate climatic conditions

• explore the designs of dwellings of First Nations Australians, investigating the perimeter, area and purpose of the shapes within the designs

• investigate the design of First Nations Australians’ dwellings, exploring the relationship between the cross sections and the dwellings’ construction.

Students work in groups to explore various forms of architecture both traditional and contemporary, and then design and plan their own which they create in the Gravity Sketch iPad application. Gravity Sketch is a 3D design tool that enables users to create and design in 3D.