Walk Work Together – A Culturally Considerate Design For At Risk Indigenous Youth

A Culturally Considerate Design for At Risk Indigenous Youth dissertation investigates and explores the way cultural consideration in the built environment can impact not only the individual but also a whole community’s level of wellbeing and quality of life. Further it acknowledges that social responsible design and cultural consideration could be the catalyst for positive social change for communities like that of Beagle Bay. The paper provides case studies and terminology to support the dissertation.

Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) enable organisations to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation. RAPs provide tangible and substantive benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing economic equity and supporting First Nations self-determination. They are based around the core pillars relationships, respect and opportunities and fall into four types– Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each type of RAP is designed to suit an organisation at different stages of their reconciliation journey and allows organisations to continuously develop their reconciliation commitments.

Wilya Janta (Standing Strong) Explain Home 1

Wilya Janta is an Aboriginal-led organisation dedicated to bringing culturally safe and climate-appropriate housing to remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Established in 2023 by Warumungu Elders, the organisation centers Aboriginal voices in housing design and creates homes that listen to Country and to the people who have cared for it for over 60,000 years. The aim is to produce homes that are safe, functional, and culturally empowering.

The first Wilya Janta home was developed over two years in collaboration with a Warumungu family. The design was guided by cultural protocols, environmental conditions, and the financial and logistical challenges of remote construction. Modular building methods were adopted, with transport limitations directly shaping the home’s footprint. Within this framework, the layout reflects cultural priorities.

The house features deep verandahs that provide shade, enable outdoor living, and accommodate extended family during ceremonies or community events. These verandahs also support cultural avoidance practices by allowing people to move freely. Bedrooms are oriented east-west in line with Warumungu sleeping traditions, while two living rooms provide space for different kinship groups. Multiple bathrooms, accessible both inside and outside, offer privacy and flexibility for visitors. Universal access is built in, with ramps, wide doors and accessible bathroom allowing elders to age on Country.

The design responds to climate with breezeways, cross-ventilation, and orientation to capture cooling winds. Mudbrick walls made from anthill and spinifex provide thermal mass and improve comfort within the lightweight structure. Outdoor areas include a bough shed, vegetable garden, pond, and grassed play spaces for children. An outdoor kitchen with an open fire forms the communal heart of the home, celebrating traditional cooking and cultural practice, while mudbrick windbreaks protect these outdoor spaces from prevailing winds.

The Wilya Janta Explain Home sets out a new model for Aboriginal housing. It is culturally grounded, environmentally responsive, and adaptable to contemporary life. It shows how design can sustain cultural identity while delivering affordable and scalable housing solutions for Central Australia.

Wilcannia Health Service

Wilcannia Health Service is a built project that consisted of redeveloping the hospital. This included additions to benefit the health needs of community in consultation with the community.

What is cultural safety and how do we design for it?

An article written by Dr Danièle Hromek exploring cultural safety in the built environment. The article explores the concept from a First Nations perspective and why it is imperative that designers understand cultural safety and consider it from project conception onwards.

Valuing “Under the House”: Women’s Knowledge and the Architectural History of the Stumped Queensland House

The paper offers a gendered reading of the uses of “under the house” in the raised Queensland house and in contrast to emphasised material and climatic narratives, highlights the value women placed on the everyday use of interstitial housing space under the Queensland house “between the stumps” and beneath the floorboards. There is emphasis on the socio-cultural importance women placed on these informal housing spaces for domestic activities. The paper draws on Australian textual records, re-considers women’s occupation and the implications of this as a rereading of Queensland’s “vernacular” architecture.

Transformations: Gendered Indigeneity

An Audio-visual discussing the way Indigeneity and Gender intersect and advocacy groups and how they work alongside First Nations Peoples. This discussion takes place between Sarah Lynn Rees (Palawa) and Carroll Go-Sam (Dyirbal bama) at Melbourne School of Design.

Towards an Aboriginal Knowledge Place: Cultural Practices as a Pathway to Wellness in the Context of a Tertiary Hospital

The journal article, Towards an Aboriginal Knowledge Place: Cultural Practices as a Pathway to Wellness in the Context of a Tertiary Hospital, discusses the health of the Indigenous community in comparison to the non-Indigenous. In light of dire statistics, the article proposes a new framework in urban hospitals for Aboriginal young people and their families, embedding culture into assessment, formulation and treatment.

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