DETAILS
Ticketed
Woods Bagot
498 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Woods Bagot’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) leader and Principal Bronwyn McColl will be in conversation with Indigenuity Lab Director Kaylee Anderson (Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta/Bangerang Countries) for a frank, open and demystifying discussion around the co-design process and how to meaningfully embed cultural wisdom in projects from inception through to realisation. It is about recentering community and culture as a startingpoint – not a response.
Kaylee and Bron will discuss what it means to decolonise architecture as a sector, exploring how designers can be advocates and enablers for the co-design process. The presenters will consider what engagement could look like – beyond performative social licence, marketing tools or competitive advantage – instead positioning it as a genuine and meaningful way of embedding knowledge, cultural safety and connection to Country for a sustainable and equitable future legacy.
Drawing on recent examples from major infrastructure projects to corporate workplace refurbishments, Bron and Kaylee will discuss steps toward culture-centred design outcomes. As with any other specialist area, they will advocate for outsourcing expertise in engagement and cultural consultation to model best practice in culturally progressive design. The presenters consider design as a form of restitution and self-determination, offering an alternative process based on reciprocity and trust, and amplifying First Nations knowledges through the built environment.
Refreshments will be offered by a First Nations catering company, and all ticket sale proceeds will be donated to Clean Up Wittenoom – a campaign striving to remedy asbestos contamination in Banjima Country.
Participants
Bronwyn McColl
Bronwyn McColl is a Woods Bagot principal, workplace sector leader and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) leader. With over twenty years’ experience across all design sectors – including hotel, hospitality, commercial, workplace and lifestyle – Bronwyn is an advocate for design as a public good and a vehicle for social change. Spearheading several of Woods Bagot’s reconciliation initiatives, Bronwyn is passionate about co-design practices as a tool for the participation and celebration of First Nations people and culture in the built environment. Bronwyn is committed to her own continued learning and that of her peers, striving for the most equitable and culturally conscious practices in architecture and design.
Kaylee Anderson
Kaylee Anderson is the director of Aboriginal-owned consultancy Indigenuity Lab. As an Aboriginal woman from Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta/Bangerang Countries in New South Wales and Victoria, Kaylee is driven by the cultural values and morals passed down through her family lines and generations of Old People who now walk in spirit. For twenty years, Kaylee has worked at the intersection of cultural wisdom and strategic delivery — from health and social justice to major infrastructure — creating change that lasts. Driven by a passion for equality and self-determination, every project by Indigenuity Lab creates meaningful impact for communities.