CHROFI and bangawarra are honoured for winning the NSW Architecture Medallion, the highest honour bestowed in the 2024 Australian Institute of Architects NSW Awards for the North Head Viewing Platforms.
For thousands of years, Car-rang gel – the Country now known as North Head – has been important ceremonial grounds for local peoples. Located on saltwater Country, the sandstone promontory offered a place to gather and celebrate stories like those of Gawura, the whale, and Car-rang, the pelican; a sacred animal to the Gai-mariagal people. Passed down through generations, these stories played an important role in establishing Songlines that connect a vast kinship system including D’harawal, Dharug, Gai-mariagal, Gundangara, and Guri-Ngai peoples, as well as many others.
At the heart of the design are two new ceremonial circles for all people to gather, learn and share stories. At the south, Burragula viewing platform celebrates Burraga – the long-nosed bandicoot – and its association with sunset; the time when they are most active. Here, the gathering space is circumscribed by solid sandstone blocks, carved into mounds that reflect the cone-shaped burrows left in the ground by the long-nosed bandicoots. Whereas the northern viewing platform, Yiningma, honours gawura – the whale – and its connection to saltwater Country. Traditional cultural practice is embedded into the sandstone here through the inclusion of a D’harawal ceremonial song, practised on the coastline during the yearly whale migration.
The curvilinear forms of the viewing platforms also draw upon Country. The line of the balustrade takes cues from the natural contours of the topography below, creating “outcrops” that delineate spaces and direct the visitor to specific views or moments within the surrounding landscape. A gently inclining entry creates an elevated outlook, offering an accessible viewing experience that retains the drama of being on a cliff edge, whilst also adhering to strict geotechnical setbacks. Materiality has been carefully chosen to break down the scale of horizontal surfaces and reflect the tones of the surrounding rock so that each viewing platform merges seamlessly into its context.
Perched above the Tea Trees and Banksia Scrub, can one begin to comprehend the history, the beauty, and the vastness of the land that is Car-rang gel.
With deep appreciation to bangawarra and Department of National Parks & Wildlife for a true collaboration and an incredible learning experience, we are humbled at the accolades including this incredible write up by the Guardian Australia. Thank you to all involved in the creation of this place.
Traditional Owners: The Gai-mariagal People
Builder: Glascott Landscape & Civil
Photographer: Clinton Weaver
https://lnkd.in/g6ZFCQ_H
