The School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle is delighted to be hosting Bangawarra through our Open Architecture Talk series. These talks are free and open for students, practitioners, and the broader community to come together and ‘open up’ our shared places, practices and projects. This public programming is part of our Visiting Architects and Experts project, that draws in a diversity of voices and perspectives to discuss, workshop and critique the built environment.

Talk Title| Bangawarra: Architecture with Country

Bangawarra is an on-Country, Sydney based spatial design company that focuses on developing meaningful and enduring connections to Country by embedding Aboriginal knowledges into landscape, architecture and the built environment. Bangawarra have been working on a significant range of local projects for a number of years, and are recognised as achieving industry leading, Designing with Country outcomes at the highest level. Recent accolades include winning the Australian Institute of Architects 2024 Robert Woodward Award in the Small Projects category; the prestigious 2024 NSW Architecture Medallion as well as the Nicholas Murcutt National Award for Small Projects with collaborators, CHROFI for the North Head Lookouts.

Bangawarra is a partnership between two design specialists with a passion for challenging colonial spatial practices and the erasure of culture and Country in the built environment. Jo Kinniburgh is the former Director of Education, School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture at UTS while Dr Shannon Foster is a D’harawal Knowledge Keeper, educator, artist and ORALRA Sydney Tradition Custodian. Together, they have spent the past decade taking the industry by storm, both driven by a shared praxes that revolves around the central belief that when we acknowledge overlooked spatial histories of place and Country, only then can we speculate on more inclusive, culturally-rich and sustainable future spaces and places.

Venue| Room X320 Nuspace, Hunter St &, Auckland St, Newcastle NSW 2300

Time| 6pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

Image: North Head Lookouts with Chrofi and National Parks and Wildlife. Image courtesy of Chrofi