“Designing with First Nations clients and communities requires recognising that the relationship is also the project. Collaboration involves taking the time to understand Country and her people’s needs and wants, and to protect, care for, and celebrate what First Nations peoples want to see, feel, and be part of.”

This was the key message emerging from the recent Architecture Symposium: Indigenising Our Built Environment, held in November at the Clarendon Auditorium, on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country.

The event focused on a select group of First Nations-led projects curated by Sarah Lynn Rees, Carroll Go-Sam and Dillon Kombumerri, with presentations from architects and academics. The symposium aimed to take a pulse check on the industry to understand how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go with regard to Indigenous engagement processes, collaborations and respect for First Nations histories and knowledges.

Featuring projects from across Australia, the case studies were linked by an understanding that relationships and collaboration are critical to successful Country-led design outcomes.

Special thanks to Sarah Lynn Rees for her contribution in curating projects that demonstrate best practice when designing with First Nations clients, communities and with Country.

---

A reflection by Cameron Burnett, one of our talented Graduate Architects, who attended the symposium.