Mari-Mari-Ba – Affordable Housing | Deicke Richards

Mari-Mari-Ba is a regeneration of Joyce Wilding Hostel, which served as a refuge for vulnerable First Nations women and children since the 1970s. The development provides 33 residential units within a series of two storey buildings wrapped around a central landscaped courtyard. A community hub building at the front of the site provides support services for the residents at ground level with units above. The Mari-Mari-Ba site has an extensive First Nations history, providing needed support services throughout its existence, both directly in terms of accommodation and support services, but also as a safe community space.
Deicke Richards was involved early in developing the initial project brief and master plan in consultation with the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy and the operators, the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS).
After extensive community consultation, the centre has been renamed Mari-Mari-Ba or place of the porcupine or echidna.