Home Projects Architecture Winning Design Concept for Ngurra Cultural Precinct Highlights First Nations’ History and Traditions
Architecture

Winning Design Concept for Ngurra Cultural Precinct Highlights First Nations’ History and Traditions

Share
Share

Djinjama, COLA Studio, Hassell, and Edition Office have won a design competition for Ngurra: The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Precinct in Canberra, presenting a winning concept for this long-overdue cultural landmark that expresses the significance of First Nations’ history and traditions in Australia’s national conscience.

Ngurra: A Sacred Space for Indigenous Culture

Ngurra is a word for ​‘home,’ ​‘camp,’ ​a place of belonging,’ or ​a place of inclusion’ in many different Aboriginal languages around eastern parts of Australia. The design concept for the Ngurra Cultural Precinct houses two distinct spaces: The National Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Centre and the National Resting Place. 

Set within an undulating landscape, the design captures the drama, beauty, and spontaneity of the beautiful wild grasslands of Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. The organization, flow, and movement of people throughout the design have been drawn from observation and meditation on the movement of animals through the landscape, a movement that has occurred for millennia.

In a similar way to how significant buildings like the Sydney Opera House have become a physical symbol of modern Australia, we sought to propose a bold and compelling concept that rightly places and expresses the significance of First Nations’ history and cultures in Australia’s national conscience.” — Mark Loughnan, Head of Design and Principal at Hassell

Welcoming all visitors, the design concept for the National Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Centre incorporates a large, organic, and embracing canopy, gently held aloft over a central plaza, framing and bowing towards Bulajima, Mount Ainslie, marking the presence and arrival to the precinct. 

Held between the sky and the earth, the central plaza creates a new cultural and community room for Canberra, a place of welcome for ceremonies, community events, and functions. The National Resting Place is designed as a private ceremonial building, an indentation into the rolling ground that forms a soft counterweight to the floating form of the Cultural Centre’s canopy. 

The respectful eastern entry plaza makes it recognizable, and a powerful symbolic reminder of historical truths yet ensures a private space for cultural sensitivities and moments of reflection. The Repatriation Space lies in the center of this form, in direct relationship to a secluded and sacred inner courtyard, allowing a highly protected place for ceremony, song, sorrow, and love. 

“At the beginning of this project we asked that our Ancestors guide our hands and minds in the design, and we believe they have done so. We know that Country has led our design team, and we believe this is the legacy of our project: Country, kin, and community embedded, guiding, fore-fronting First Nations culture.” — Danièle Hromek, Director of Djinjama

Share

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Related Articles
Eric Owen Moss Opens His Shape-Shifting Experimental Home for Rent in California
Architecture

Eric Owen Moss Opens His Shape-Shifting Experimental Home for Rent in California

Eric Owen Moss Architects designed the A+M House, a unique four-storey home...

Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport Embraces Parametric Design
Architecture

Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport Embraces Parametric Design

Setting an architectural marvel, Al Maktoum International Airport, the world’s largest airport,...

Frisco Public Library: Shaping the Future of Modern Learning and Community Spaces
Architecture

Frisco Public Library: Shaping the Future of Modern Learning and Community Spaces

An award-winning architectural firm, Gensler blended experience of community-based creation and societal...

World's First Football-Branded Residence Launched by Chelsea FC in Dubai
Architecture NewsArchitecture

World’s First Football-Branded Residence Launched by Chelsea FC in Dubai

Chelsea Football Club has revealed the idea of creating the very first...

Subscribe to all newsletters

Join our community to receive the latest insights and updates!

© 2025 ParametricArchitecture. All Rights Reserved. By utilizing this website, you are consenting to our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Statement. In compliance with the privacy laws of Turkey and the United States, we recognize and respect your rights. Please be aware that we may receive commissions for products bought through our affiliate links. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or transmission of any material from this site is strictly forbidden without prior written permission from ParametricArchitecture.

ad blocker mark

AdBlocker Detected!

Help Us Keep Our Content Free

Your support helps us continue delivering high-quality resources at no cost to you.

We’ve detected that you are using an AdBlocker. We completely understand the need for a clean browsing experience, but ads help us keep this platform running and continue providing you with high-quality content at no cost.

If you enjoy our content, please consider disabling your AdBlocker or adding our site to your whitelist. Your support allows us to create more valuable articles, tutorials, and resources for you.

Thank you for being a part of our community!