MINJUNGBAL CULTURAL RESERVE
Lot 490 Cultural Reserve was an educational project that I completed in my final semester of my bachelor's degree at Griffith University. The location of the site was Lot 490, Casuarina Way, Kingscliff. The site was split down the middle by a road, creating an east and west side of the site. The brief called for students to develop an Indigenous Cultural Centre and performance space with offices, accommodation retreat, café and other amenities on the west side, with 49 beach cabins for glamping, reception and amenities on the east side.
For my design, I chose to completely detail the Cultural Centre and Performance Space buildings on the west side, along with the 49 beach cabins on the east side. My conceptual imperatives for my design solution was to:
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Tell the story of the local Indigenous (Minjungbal) tribe through creating a journey and designing buildings that are respectful and receptive of their surrounding context
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Apply the essence and core values of Aboriginal architecture (rather than imitate/mimic) into a contemporary form that resonates with both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities
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Maintain native plant life and incorporate into design
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To have a sustainable design response that has minimal impact on the existing site
The east and west sides are composed of two completely differently shaped building forms. The west side, being more of a curved and organic design, whilst the cabins on the east side are rectangular cabins. This calls for some design consistency to tie the two sides together as one, rather than being two separate developments. This was executed through materiality – Wooden screening slats over a glass curtain wall. For the cabins, these wooden slats operate as privacy systems facing the two sides of the cabin that are exposed to the publicly accessible pathway, and the slab to slab curtain wall faces out into dense bushland, for maximum immersion with the bush without compromising privacy.
EAST SIDE DIAGRAMS
CABIN EXPLODED AXO
