State Library of Queensland, Purpose Built

Instigated by the University of Queensland’s School of Architecture, the design of the Purpose Built exhibition presents the research of five academic groups. Speculative Architecture developed a set of spatial arrangements to evoke the emotive, cultural, and design propositions of the research groups that are focused upon the future of housing.

A 1:1 scale model of a traditional timber house blocks visitors’ passage through the exhibition entry. Parts of the exhibit can be glimpsed through the windows of the false façade but an alternative path, to engage with the future of housing, must be sought. The alternate route cuts diagonally across the gallery and links to a window with a view to the Brisbane River and City. Previously considered a regrettable window and typically covered for exhibitions, the visual link to Kurilpa Point establishes an acknowledgement of the country of the Turrbal and Jagera people that the researchers are working upon. A series of rooms branch off this path to encourage interaction and engagement with the ideas being presented.