Kevin O'Brien
 Kevin O'Brien is a descendent of the Meriam Mir and Kaurereg peoples of the Torres Strait Islands and a member of the Keriwi/Hammond Island Community. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture (1995) and a Master of Philosophy (2006) both from the University of Queensland. In 2000 he travelled around the Pacific Rim as Churchill Fellow to study Indigenous architecture and community construction strategies. In 2007 he established Kevin O'Brien Architects in Brisbane building upon a 10 year association with Merrima Design and the NSW Government Architect's Office. In 2007, he became a Director of Architects Without Frontiers, a non-profit organization providing architectural services to disaster areas around the globe. In 2006, Kevin was part of a consultancy team with Paul Pholerus and Paul Howorth of SGS Economics to provide a research paper titled 'A Framework for Assessing Alternative Models for Housing Provision on Indigneous Communal Title Land' to the Honourable Mal Brough, Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Subsequently, in February 2007, he delivered a presentation titled 'House/Home' as part of Noel Pearson's Cape York Institute's 'Home Ownership' seminar which illustrated the economic and social aspects of the dwelling. Kevin's housing experience comes less from the professional position of an architect and rather from 35 years experience of living the housing conditions of his own community on Keriwi/Hammond Island. Specifically, that of his immediate family. It is an experience that has observed a general decline in the quality of housing on the ground in his community, despite the past decade's rhetoric of 'community consultation'. It would seem that the very essence of housing as an idea has been lost. |
