A ‘bower’ is a simple structure traditionally used by Indigenous Australians to shelter from sun, rain and wind. The ‘Bower Studio’ projects undertaken by postgraduate students at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne reference the bower as the basic component of shelter and seeks to build upon its relevance for contemporary Indigenous development and housing in Australia and neighbouring countries. While a basic bower structure may not represent the aspirations of all indigenous peoples, it does help us understand the key issue of shelter for the climate, culture and technologies (which in turn link with spatial forms and their capacities to define ‘place’).