COX Architecture (Design Architect), in collaboration with CK Architecture (Interior Design and Artwork Integration), was engaged to deliver a new purpose-built facility for Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation, replacing the ageing building on Grattan Court. More than a building project, the initiative sought to create a culturally safe, inclusive and welcoming place on Country that would support the ongoing success of Gugan Gulwan and strengthen opportunities for First Nations people for generations to come.

A key outcome of the project was its commitment to redefining community engagement as an ongoing process embedded throughout the project lifecycle. The brief was curated and guided by the Gugan Gulwan community, ensuring community aspirations informed decision-making from concept to delivery. Engagement was led by COX Architecture in partnership with Fulcrum Agency and centred on the guidance of the Gugan Gulwan Nannas, the endorsed cultural representatives of the community. What began as informal yarning sessions over tea evolved into a deeply collaborative design process that established the project’s foundational principle: Country is centred on community, and community is centred on Country.

Photography: Adam McGrath, courtesy of Projex, Thurston Empson