Identity, diversity and Indigenous place-making in Melbourne

University of Melbourne students are showcasing their vision of what it means to be Aboriginal in an urban environment as part of the Inaugural Hon. Evan Walker Design Studio Exhibition. Thirteen Masters of Architecture students were asked to come up with a location and final designs for an Indigenous community and cultural centre to be based in Melbourne. The final exhibition features designs for community centres to museums and landscaped urban precincts, on a range of sites from Birrarung Marr, to the north bank of the Yarra and Gurtrude Street in Fitzroy. Led by alumnus Jefa Greenaway, the Director of Greenaway Architects and a Project Architect at SJB Architects, the studio looked at ways that the architecture and design industry could better represent Indigenous identity in city constructions. ?Students were asked to consider exactly what constitutes the notion of 'Aboriginality' and how it could be best represented through built forms,? said Mr Greenaway. 'It's a particularly acute issue, given the dearth of Aboriginals directly involved in the key design profession of architecture.