To be built in Adelaide, on Kaurna land as part of the Lot Fourteen global innovation precinct, the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC) is a new paradigm in cultural space design.
AACC Ambassador, David Rathman, said the ARG was working to ensure that the centre reflects the diversity of First Nations peoples across Australia, particularly the Kaurna Nation, as it will be located on a significant Kaurna site.
The design of the 11,500 sq m building originates from the Aboriginal conception of the elements that link people to places; earth, land and sky. The design narrative for the building is based on the deep Aboriginal connection to country, place and kin, with connected layers being the foundation of the design.
Lower level galleries and terraced landscapes are carved from the earth, providing indoor exhibition spaces, performance spaces and a gathering area for ‘welcome to country’ ceremonies, within the outdoor amphitheatre.
The AACC offers 7,000 sq m of diverse exhibition spaces, ranging in size, height and light quality, each offering views of the natural surroundings, blending inside with outside, the natural with built constructions.
Between these exhibition levels is a welcoming arrival ground plane that extends to the land in all directions and re-orients the building and its entry to Kaingka Wirra, Adelaide Botanic Garden. An additional 8,100 sq m of public realm welcomes visitors with a gentle slope of native landscape at North Terrace, providing access.
At the heart of the building is a flexible, three storey gathering and performance space that visitors spiral around as they make their way to different levels. For the façade the design team drew inspiration from the temporary shelter structures created by Aboriginal peoples across Australia, known by names such as “wurlie” and “humpy”. A basket-like nest of columns shapes the central space and anchors the entire building. Draped onto this structure is a softly shimmering woven skin that tilts open to connect Aboriginal art and cultures back to the public and to the country.
Construction of the AACC is scheduled to start later in 2021 and the centre is due to open in early 2025.