Kaurna Land, Adelaide, Australia

Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Woods Bagot, the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC) showcases the past, present and future of Aboriginal cultures while supporting contemporary art practices and events across disciplines.

At the heart of the new building is a flexible, three-story gathering and performance space that visitors spiral around as they make their way to different levels.

For the structure and building skin (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, placing storytelling at the heart of the 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 Country.

Grounded on Kaurna land, the design of the 11,500 square metre building originates from the Aboriginal conception of the elements that link us to place: 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.

Reveals in the upper galleries frame views oriented to the sky and natural surroundings, while also exposing the activity within – depicting truth-telling and transparency.

The AACC offers 7,000 square metres of diverse exhibition spaces – ranging in size, height and light quality, each offering views of the natural surroundings – seamlessly blending inside with outside, natural with built.

Between these exhibition levels is a radically welcoming arrival ground plane that extends to the land in all directions and reorients the building and its entry to Kainka Wirra (Adelaide Botanic Garden.)

An additional 8,100 square-metres of public realm welcomes visitors with a gentle slope of native at North Terrace, providing seamless access.

Working closely with the AACC Ambassador David Rathman, the design team engaged in deep conversations with members of the AACC Aboriginal Reference Group to discover the design vision.

Woods Bagot principal Rosina Di Maria described the consultation process as a humbling and emotional experience:

“Our role is to listen, and translate the aspirations and ambitions of the ARG into a design response. The architecture evokes a sense of welcome to all visitors – particularly First Nations peoples – and a connection to culture offered through the human experience,” Di Maria said.

“The Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre will be a place for all Australians to remember ourselves, to learn the truth telling of our past, and to re-imagine ourselves together to create new memories as a connected community. It will be a platform for developing Australian culture – informed by the past, shaped by the now, for our future,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this ground-breaking vision to create a place of pride that authentically honors the oldest living cultures on the planet,” says DS+R partner Charles Renfro.

“The AACC will welcome visitors through a radically open ground floor, into a safe space with storytelling at its heart. it will be a building of the 21st-Ccentury, while remaining agile enough to allow future generations to evolve their own storytelling.”

AACC will be a building of the 21st century, flexing to curation, use and time.

Construction is set to get underway later in 2021 with a completion date of 2025.

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Woods + Bagot
Client: Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC)