Riverbend Repair | Vaughan Howard Architects

River Bend House sits atop an ecologically and culturally significant escarpment on a bend in the Birrarung (Yarra River), part of the Garambi Baanj Cultural Precinct, established and operated by InPlace in partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi–wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Parks Victoria.

Designed by Alistair Knox in 1968, River Bend had fallen into a state of disrepair–having been unoccupied for over eight years–prior to InPlace launching this ambitious vision. River Bend now operates as a place of artistic and cultural production for multidisciplinary artists and Wurundjeri.

The original approach to River Bend was ‘repair’, evoking the functional and pragmatic. Since completion, First Nations artists have described River Bend as a ‘healing place’, indeed the notion of healing extends across the project: healing Country, healing disrupted culture practices, and healing the self. The repair of River Bend has provided a safe space for healing journeys.