NAIDOC Week | Bunjil Place

"This land will always be protected by the creator, Bunjil, who travels as an eagle, and by Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow. Bunjil taught the Boon Wurrung to always welcome guests, but he always required the Boon Wurrung to ask all visitors to make two promises: to obey the laws of Bunjil and not to harm the children or the land of Bunjil." -?Carolyn Briggs, Boon Wurrung Elder

Concept Design

The project’s concept arose from this inclusive sense of identity, from the land, its history and nature. Two central themes arose from the culture of Wurundjeri, Bunurong and Boon Wurrung people, the traditional owners and inhabitants of this land.

Theme one: “The Meeting of Many Paths”.

Theme two: “Bunjil” the eagle hawk.

Long ago Bunjil, the Eaglehawk, was a very powerful man. He was the headman of the Kulin. After Bunjil has made the mountains and the rivers, and man and all the animals, he taught men how to make weapons, how to fight with them, and how to behave with one another - Myths of the Kulin

You Yangs Regional Park - Bunjil geoglyph

Constructed by the Australian artist Andrew Rogers in recognition of the indigenous people of the area. It depicts Bunjil, a mythical creature to the local Wautharong Aborigines. The creature has a wing span of 100 metres and 1500 tonnes of rock was used to construct it, and was unveiled in March 2006.

The Architecture

The architecture began to form around the idea of an organic meeting of many paths. Gathering takes place under the protective and sheltering roof. Like Bunjil’s wings, this sinuous element symbolises not only the traditions of the past, but provides a contemporary vision of the future, movement, technology and innovation, sheltering the central civic space and protecting occupants from the noise and pollution of the highway to create a welcoming celebration and back-drop for community life.

Between the ground and roof planes the various spaces and volumes are shaped and defined through a series of white and timber ribbons accentuating the flow and interconnected nature of the ensemble. Supporting the dynamic roof forms and connecting them at two central points is a woven structure of laminated natural timber. A warm and innovative structure that emphasises the lightness of the roof through a fluid, organic geometry and reinforces the openness and welcoming nature of the complex in the way it reaches out to the public open space, lifting up to create a powerful sense of invitation. The interior gathering and workplaces spaces have abundant fresh air, daylight, outlook and amenity supporting long term occupation and visitation.

The realisation of the gridshell was a technological and construction challenge utilising advanced computer generated design production and assembly techniques in addition to long term collaboration with manufacturers. This is an architecture drawing together advanced systems with the most traditional and essential systems.

Photo Credit: John Gollings & Trevor Mein