On 5 July 2022, the architectural fraternity lost an academic of significant standing, in Elizabeth Grant.
Grant’s expertise in the field of architectural anthropology, with a particular interest in Indigenous architecture, and her thorough exploration of the intersection between justice and criminology within architecture, were recognized nationally and internationally through countless peer-reviewed books, chapters and journal papers, spanning many decades.
Grant was a Churchill Fellow and held positions as a professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University and as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra. Prior to this, she held academic positions at both the University of Adelaide and the University of Queensland, where her passion and enthusiasm influenced numerous students. Grant also held positions in various humanitarian organizations in Australia, New Zealand and America.
Born and raised in Mount Gambier on the Traditional Lands of the Bunganditj (Boandik) people in South Australia, Grant continued to be inspired and influenced by this evocative landscape throughout her research career. Her German immigrant father instilled in her the value of education and Grant was the first in her family to attend university. Her strong motivation toward human rights led to a particular interest in institutional architecture. Through a deep engagement in custodial and court design, coupled with an abiding interest in issues related to Indigenous housing, homelessness and disability access for Indigenous peoples, Grant’s work resulted in a legacy focused on equitable design practice.
Grant contributed her considerable expertise to many government inquiries and coronial inquests, including the 2016 Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory, which revealed the shocking conditions experienced by Aboriginal youth in detention.
Grant was a prolific scholar, author and communicator, consistently reviewing and writing articles for the architectural press, including Architecture Australia and Australian Design Review. As the lead editor for the Handbook of Contemporary Indigenous Architecture (Springer, 2018), she selected First Nations scholars Albert Refiti and Daniel Glenn, and University of Queensland researcher Kelly Greenop, as co-editors. Engaging with contemporary Indigenous design practice, theory and educational directions, this publication has proven to be a valuable resource for students, academics and practitioners alike.
Grant believed in encouraging and mentoring Indigenous students into the built and natural environments professions. She did this through symposia, conferences and dialogues across the country, in addition to regular informal interactions in which she gave generously of her time to assist students in their studies, connect them with industry and generally support them through challenges.
In 2021, Grant embarked on an initiative with Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri landscape architect and public artist Paul Munaitya Herzich, titled “Spirit of Place, South Australian Contemporary Aboriginal Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Place-making Exhibition,” exploring the diversity of contemporary design in South Australia that has engaged with both Country and Indigenous knowledge systems. Grant’s long-standing commitment to finding ways to engage with Indigenous voices, practice and thinking was evident to all who were touched by her and her work.
Grant was a loving wife to Leonard (Tamahae) Cohen (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) and a devoted mother to her three children, Todd, Tim and Paul (deceased). She was 59 years old.
