Awakening to the Aboriginal Design Movement

As we celebrated NAIDOC Week, Michael Hromek (Yuin) WSP Technical Executive, Indigenous (Architecture) Design and Knowledge, discussed bringing Aboriginal design into the essence of place and what this means for both our clients and Community.

“During the 1980s through to the 2000s there was a gradual assembling of knowledge in Aboriginal design – decolonialisation – by great academics including Dr Russell Kennedy, Dr Meghan Kelly, Jefa Greenaway, Professor Brian Martin and Elly Chatfield,” Michael explains.

Their work resulted in the Australian Indigenous Design Charter (and now also the International Indigenous Design Charter) which is a protocol document providing guidance for respectful representation of Indigenous culture in design practice and education. Our Core Principles are based on the set of ten points outlined within this charter.”

WSP Indigenous Specialist Services – Core Principles:

1. Indigenous Led – Indigenous people (designers, elders etc.) should be leading or co-leading the Indigenous elements in the design.
2. Community Involvement – Getting the local Indigenous community engaged in the design process is key to success. For example, can we use existing culturally-significant patterns or can we have some designed?
3. Appropriate Use of Indigenous Design – All Indigenous design elements must be approved by relevant Indigenous people, community and Elders. If approval is not given, the knowledge will not be used in the project.

The aim of our Core Principles is to enable the incorporation of Aboriginal design by making it a practical process through all stages of a project,” says Michael.

We follow them when delivering our services, taking our clients and stakeholders through the journey and also lead with these principles when talking with Traditional Owners. Elders are looking for our understanding, seeking involvement and want to know if we are going to get it right.

Project examples

Incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and culture in design is shown within the following three projects:

WSP is engaged on three Special Activation Precincts (SAPs) in NSW – Moree, Wagga Wagga and Parkes. SAPs are regional towns selected for economic development through business hub revitalisation, creating jobs, attracting businesses and investors, and supporting local industries. Precinct development includes masterplanning, permitted land uses and the identification of specific principal standards.

Prior to design of the masterplans, our Indigenous Specialist Services were engaged to provide cultural context mappings and advise on how they should respond to cultural practices. The aim of our involvement was in the understanding of Country – highlighting high level opportunities for Aboriginal involvement, design and engagement.

Michael expanded, “This is no different to other stakeholders, for example community groups or chamber of commerce or arts associations, who are all wanting their requirements to be considered in the planning. We are just providing this from a local Aboriginal point of view, but the Indigenous perspective is often neglected.”<

The Southern Program Alliance (SPA) is one of five alliances responsible for delivering the Victorian Government’s promise to remove 75 of Melbourne’s most dangerous and congested level crossings by 2025. SPA is currently undertaking works to remove level crossings and build new train stations along the Frankston Line as part of an AUD $3 billion upgrade. The program alliance consists of WSP, the Level Crossing Removal Project, Metro Trains Melbourne, Acciona Construction Australia (formerly Lendlease Engineering), and Acciona Coleman Rail.

WSP co-designed many of the spaces in an iterative process in which Traditional Owners had direct input into the architects’ decisions. The project was structured with an urban design reference panel that embraced the idea of reflecting local Aboriginal design into the built environment, allowing input into elements outside the initial scope such as walls, lights and landscaping. The aim is to create a ‘songline’ of spaces and design that connects the whole project together thematically with the notion of Country. This includes adding design elements such as a yarning circle at Carrum, message sticks, and welcome mats in station precincts.

SPA also embedded cultural values and principles on the project with more than 500 team members participating in some form of cultural activity including attending awareness training, NAIDOC Week activities, smoking ceremonies, and tours of traditional lands.

WSP’s Indigenous Specialist Services have now also been engaged across all of the rail line areas identified for level crossing removal. Our role is to facilitate with the multiple Aboriginal tribes on whose land the rail lines and railway infrastructure has been constructed.

Michael outlined, “Our role includes talking with Traditional Owners from the four different tribes through which the six main rail lines traverse. This involves authentically connecting theming that has been established to a songline for each area. For example, a rail line with an existing train station for refurbishment together with the addition of a new community park – both of which are to include Aboriginal design elements. Our role is to ensure the Aboriginal design is correct and consistent with that appropriate to each geographic area.”

We engaged local Indigenous artist Ailsa Walsh from Wulkuraka Designs to bring an Aboriginal narrative to 900 Ann Street, the 2019 project which saw 600 people from multiple locations co-locate into a four-level, centrally located office in the heart of Brisbane.

Ailsa is connected to the Kullili and Lardil nations via tribal bloodlines and the Yuggera nation through family. Her unique background permits her to use a variety of art styles and techniques in her work. Our interior design partner, Hassell, collaborated with our Indigenous Specialists Services team and Ailsa to integrate and extend Indigenous knowledge and designs throughout the office fitout including: lift lobby wraps; colour palettes of flooring, wall colours and soft furnishings; Indigenous patterns throughout meeting spaces; and a yarning circle in the communal staff area.

It was important that we made sure our 900 Ann Street office connected strongly with the land of the Yuggera people. By engaging a local artist like Ailsa we were able to incorporate her art into a modern office environment in a contemporary way. This is shown in the yarning circle which allows for a different type of gathering, subtle arrow patterning in the lighting and in the blockwork, woodwork in furniture carpentry, and rock stencils in the frosted privacy glass for meeting rooms,” said Michael.