mang bikami (paint here, art room)
Djaara Centred Design
We embed Djaara cultural values, aspirations and expression into the built environment.
The Djaara Centred Design group partner with businesses to ensure Djaara values, aspiration and Traditional Ecological Knowledge is embedded in buildings, community parks and all large scale developments on Djandak.
We specialise in helping clients understand how your project can benefit from having early Djaara cultural design input that reflects the spirit, creativity and deep knowledge of Djaara People.
Good architecture and design should resonate with the spirit of the place and be informed by a deep understanding of the environmental, cultural and social context that it is created within.
Contact our team to learn more about how we can ‘Djaarify’ your project
Good architecture and design captures and resonates the spirit of place
About Djaara Centred Design
Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) have lived on Djandak (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) for tens of thousands of years. The Djaara Centred Design team puts Djaara’s cultural connection to and understanding of Djandak at the core of projects we work on so that the whole community can benefit and connect to our culture.
The Djaara Centred Design team works in partnership with any group proposing to build, develop or create change to landscapes and buildings on Djandak. We use our design skills to facilitate cultural expression in the built environment in collaboration with Djaara people, design teams and clients. This enables us to support you to walk and work alongside the Traditional Custodians of this land in the spirit of sharing.
Our team is made up of Landscape Architects, Graphic Designers and Cultural Heritage Advisers.
We facilitate design collaboration through a group of Djaara knowledge holders called a Wartaka (meet with purpose). This exchange of design and cultural knowledge creates meaningful relationships and results in Djaara seeing their values reflected in the built environment.
We are committed to empowering Djaara people on their path to self-determination. Our philosophy is ‘Design Thinking that Connects to Country.’ It matters to us that Djaara expertise and culture is shared and we measure success if we achieve the following outcomes:
- Djaara people are employed to work on projects on their Country.
- Djaara see culture reflected back to them in the cities, towns and natural environment of this region.
- Government, business and local communities experience Djaara culture in civic buildings and shared natural spaces like parks, forests and city gardens.
- Major projects demonstrate cultural sensitivity, and are delivered within budget, and on time.
Projects
Djaara Centred Design projects can be seen around Central Victoria in many notable developments including:
- Garingilang gatjin wii (Garden of Water and Fire at Central Goldfields Art Gallery)
- Bendigo Law Courts
- Galkangu (Bendigo Gov Hub)
- Bendigo Tafe
- Larni Garingilang, Bendigo Botanic Gardens
- Interpretive park and trail signage
- Campground designs
- Urban design projects
- Goldfields Track
- Cultural Value Assessments
"We feel incredibly privileged to have worked alongside DJAARA, and Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners in the design and delivery of Galkangu (Bendigo Gov Hub) from the name itself, to the striking design featured across the building’s façade, to the incorporation of language and artwork throughout the building’s shared spaces"
Development Victoria
