To test a collaborative construction proecess, in 2013 Bower Studio worked with a family at Belyuen to build an outdoor shade structure.
Bower Studio is an initiative of University of Melbourne. This Belyuen project was the first trial of the HomesPLUS initiative, where students visit a remote community to support construction of a structure the family has chosen from the HomesPLUS catalogue. The project was a success:
Word got around [and later] at Titjikala (2014) another two pavilions were chosen from the HomesPLUS catalogue. This led to other pavilions at Amoonguna and Areyonga (2015). HomesPLUS is proving to be a popular process to engage small-scaled Indigenous work teams to construct prefabricated community infrastructure.
While many Indigenous housing and infrastructure programs are known to suffer from cost overruns, time blowouts and user dissatisfaction the HomesPLUS program mitigates risk via purposeful consultation, positive community participation and relevant built outcomes.