PROJECT Riawunna Aboriginal Studies Centre
LOCATION University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Urban Initiatives Pty Ltd in association with Sinatra Murphy
The design for the new Riawunna Aboriginal Studies Centre at the University of Tasmania was generated by the Landscape Architects, working with local indigenous people involved with the Centre. The design process centred around community based consultation, to maximise input from the local indigenous people. This involvement ensured that the design outcome maintained a firm integrity with the Community members and, through its realisation, has become an expression of their landscapes and their culture.
Built for a modest budget, the landscape complements the evocative architecture, form and materials of Peter Elliott's Riawunna building. The University's design brief for the Riawunna Centre called for a building with its own address point, separate identity and an `Aboriginal Native Garden' to a contained courtyard. Through the synergy between the landscape and the architecture and the contribution of the Community members, what has been constructed goes beyond this objective.