UNE, architectural firm Architectus and Indigenous consultancy Yerrabingin held their second Design Jam recently in Tamworth with local First Nations people and members of the community.
Angela Collings from Architectus said the collaboration with the Aboriginal community members and a multidisciplinary design team brought a diversity of knowledge and perception to the design thinking process.
“With Yerrabingin as part of our design team, we as architects can learn from and create alongside them. We have a responsibility to ensure that projects are designed for their place, and for the people and visitors of that place. That is inherently what good design means.” she said.
“Participants at the Design Jam in Tamworth were asked to address the question ‘How might we create a welcoming and inspiring environment at UNE Tamworth that respects and incorporates Aboriginal culture and knowledge?’”, she said.
Some of the key points and outcomes of the discussions for the design emphasised:
- A connection to the river and sky
- Use of natural materials
- Development of a welcoming environment, not just for students, but the wider community
- Incorporating views of Country
- Different types of spaces for different types of learning
- Incorporating significant cultural stories and narratives
- A space to showcase art and culture
User testing of the initial designs will continue throughout the remainder of 2023.
The construction of UNE Tamworth Central is possible thanks to $26.6 million from the NSW Government’s$500 million Growing Local Economies Fund, under the Restart NSW Fund, and contributions by UNE, Tamworth Regional Council and the Federal Government.
Once completed, UNE Tamworth will complement UNE’s Armidale and Sydney campuses and extend the comprehensive support UNE provides both formally and informally through study centres, research facilities, incubators and broader outreach across the region.
Initial images of the building will be available later this year, after the master planning and concept design phase is complete.
