Bilya Koort Boodja

BACKGROUND_ Acknowledgement and recognition of the genocide of Australia’s First Peoples is a critical issue on the path towards reconciliation (Langton & Andrew 2019). Architecture's role in the communication and translation of shared knowledge held by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is emerging as an important aspect of making public buildings in Australia. The work recognises this role and aims to facilitate notions of a shared future through design. CONTRIBUTION_ Bilya Koort Boodja is located to the north-east of Perth at the meeting place of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers; a culturally significant waterway from a cultural perspective, holding a dark history of genocide. The building is a keeping place for Indigenous knowledge and a focal point for the local community to celebrate Noongar culture. Reflecting a commitment to reconciliation and shared responsibility, the brief was developed collaboratively by Iredale Pedersen Hook (studio practice of Martyn Hook), exhibition designer Thylacine and the Noongar Ballardong community. This dialogue informed a graphic and material language that connects the centre to the land and surrounding river system. The participatory design process extends the researchers’ practice in building Indigenous knowledges into architectural intent. SIGNIFICANCE_ Bilya Koort Boodja was commissioned by the Northam Shire Council in 2016 and completed in 2018. It was recognised with an Honorable Mention in Architectural Design/Cultural Architecture in the Architecture Master Prize, shortlisted in the 2019 World Architecture Festival in the ‘Display’ category and placed as a finalist in the International Architecture of Necessity Awards curated through Virserums Konsthall, Sweden.