RAA In Practice -  Designing with Country: A Case Study of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape 

The Session

Bianca Scaife will present CSA’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape project as an example of ‘best practice’ in designing with Country. 

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, in southwest Victoria, has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site with outstanding universal value. CSA have designed a range of tourism infrastructure on these sites for the Traditional Owners of this Country, the Gunditjmara. The development provides an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable means of caring for Country and ensures the continuation of Gunditjmara culture for future generations. 

Bianca will explain the approach that CSA took to working with the Gunditjmara community and how their cultural knowledge and understanding of Country informed the design. She will also reflect on how this experience has influenced her approach to design more broadly and provide practical advice for those who are looking to expand their knowledge of what ‘designing with Country’ means. 

Bianca Scaife
Bianca is a director of CSA, a small practice she co-founded in 2003. She lives and works on Gunditjmara Country in southwest Victoria and is committed to making an authentic contribution to the natural, cultural and built environment of this region. 

Bianca’s learning about the Gunditjmara, their culture and connection to Country is ongoing. It has led to new friendships and new projects, but most importantly, new ways of seeing the landscape that she grew up on. 

As a rural practice, CSA takes on a wide variety of project typologies, from private housing, to schools, healthcare and public buildings. By far the most rewarding project they have undertaken is the design of tourism infrastructure on the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, for Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, a project that spanned over 7 years. 

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape project won the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards – Award of the Year and Best in Category – Architecture, as well as a Commendation in the 2023 Architecture AU Award for Social Impact. The project has been referenced as a case study by institutions including the Government Architect of NSW and research into protocols for indigenous-led creative practice at Monash University, as an example of ‘best practice’ for principles of designing with Country, engaging with Aboriginal communities and representing indigenous knowledge and culture. 

In addition to private practice, Bianca is a member of the Regional Committee for the AIA Victorian Chapter and undertakes adhoc tutoring and lecturing roles for various universities. 

This one hour session offers 1 formal CPD point, performance criteria addressed are 8, 17, 27, 29 and 36 from the AACA National Standard of Competency for Architects 2021.

RAA members are eligible to utilise the discount code available in the member content area for free attendance of this session.