Urban Design
Campus to Country: Positioning Strategy is a spatial framework that seeks to inform future development at QUT's Kelvin Grove and Gardens Point campuses by engaging with Turrbal and Yugara peoples' Country.
Land is central to culture, identity and spirituality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is intertwined with family, kinship, lores, customs, stories, song and dance, language, art, ceremony and healing. The deep relationship between Indigenous Australians and land is often described as "Connection to Country".
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) stands on the lands of the Turrbal and Yugara people, which were never ceded.
Campus to Country: Positioning Strategy is a spatial framework that seeks to inform future development at QUT's Kelvin Grove and Gardens Point campuses by engaging with Turrbal and Yugara peoples' Country. The framework emanates from a deep understanding of the Aboriginal concept of belonging to Country and demonstrates how this can adjust an urban environment derived from colonial origins.
The alignment is found in the concept of Caring for Country as the starting point. The work seeks to establish spatial settings that locate users in connection with Country to enable that sense of belonging and the need to proactively reverse the damage to Country.
This work establishes Country as the origin for the design of the future campuses. Prompts, Tracks, Typologies and Palettes are the key elements of this framework.
The intention for QUT is for the strategy to be treated as a live document. One which can adapt as the needs of the campus and community change.
When I started as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy), my observation of QUT was despite having one of the largest populations of Indigenous Australian students in the country, the campuses needed to visibly reflect or recognise Indigenous Australian cultures in a welcoming or engaging way. QUT has addressed this by developing a strategy with BVN to help shape the physical environments of both QUT campuses, reflecting the culture and history of Indigenous Australians. This will create a sense of belonging and place for Indigenous Australian students, staff and community, enabling the QUT community to experience and appreciate Indigenous Australian cultures and history.
Angela Barney-Leitch, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy) - QUT.
Credits
BVN
Collaborators
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Consultants
Simone Wise - Urban Planning and Design, Keisha Thomason (Leon Design) – Artwork.
Collaborators
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Consultants
Simone Wise - Urban Planning and Design, Keisha Thomason (Leon Design) – Artwork.
Photography
Nikolas Strugar
Awards
2022 QLD Minister's Award, Winner of the Urban Design Award
2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (AIA), QLD Chapter, The Karl Langer Award for Urban Design
2021 Australian Institute of Architects Awards (AIA), National Commendation for Urban Design