ABSTRACT
Deck-chair innovation is an approach to architecture that is about slowing down. It is counter to the culture of efficiency and contemporary innovation which focuses on (bodily detached) digital and computational modelling. Focused on the work of the Grand Section (a 10-month bicycle trip across the centre of Australia), this chapter proposes slow bodily movement and observation through an environment as precedent for innovative Australian architecture. So buildings are based in the particularities of place, climate and culture. Bicycles allowed complete sensory place-immersion, gifting cultural, environmental and social understanding beyond postcard understanding. Deck-chair architecture aims to design-forage, the act of adapting local solutions into modern buildings. This comes from careful observation and local anecdotes of design techniques, material use and climatic responsiveness so that architecture is place specific. Architecture should be a resource for a place, not just use the place as a resource.
