Western Sydney University (WSU) has pulled back the covers on the renders for its future Indigenous Centre of Excellence, a collaborative design effort overseen by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB), Peter Stutchbury Architecture and Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture, with Uncle Dean Kelly, Hill Thalis Architecture and Flux Consult.

Located on Darug land at the university’s Parramatta South campus, the facility’s design is Country and community-inspired. It will comprise a state-of-the-art theatre and cinema, exhibition galleries, teaching and learning facilities and Indigenous discovery space.

The facade features locally sourced timber and clay, while a number of innovative and sustainable principles will be embedded as the university targets a 6-star Green Star rating. An entirely Indigenous planted landscape designed by Jane Irwin’s practice will foster gathering, respite, shelter and play.

“Our design engages with the layered physical and experiential histories of the site to create a proposal that is born from the spatial language of Country and healed through the return of waterway, ecology, and home for non-human kin,” says JCB Senior Associate Sarah Lynn Rees.

“Inspired by the form and safety of the mangroves and veiled by a woven like façade, the design acts as a canvas within which human and non-human kin can re-connect. The Indigenous Centre of Excellence will facilitate the practice of caring for Country and the transfer of cultural and academic knowledge, amplifying individual and collective cultural strength for the benefit of all.”

The university hopes to promote and preserve the culture and ideals of Indigenous cultures. Accessible to people of all ages, abilities and interests, visitors will be able to gain insight into the cultural heritage of First Nations Australians.

“The Indigenous Centre of Excellence will be a benchmark for Indigenous leadership and education,” says WSU Chancellor, Jennifer Westacott AO.

“It forms an important part of Western Sydney University’s Indigenous Strategy 2020-2025, which aims to increase Indigenous participation in higher education, fostering emerging Indigenous leaders for decades to come.”

The Centre of Excellence has been made possible by a $78.5 million grant from the NSW Government. It is planned to be completed and open for operation in 2026. For more information, click here.

Jarrod Reedie

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