Designing with Country
Designing for Country isn’t just about acknowledging place — it’s about listening to it, learning from it, and creating in relationship with it. In our recent design research series, we’ve been exploring how to deepen our understanding of Country, not as a backdrop but as an active presence: a teacher, a stakeholder, a collaborator.
A core idea we kept returning to was that Country is not a place. It is a knowing. Designing with Country asks us to slow down, to listen, and to allow space for stories, seasons and time to shape what we create.
Architecture cannot carry this responsibility on its own — but it can play a role in supporting it. Buildings can open space for cultural expression, welcome many voices into the process, and allow meaning to emerge through material, orientation and form.
This way of working shifts how we approach a brief. It’s not only about what we build, but why, how, and who we build it with. It calls us to consider connection over convenience and to design with care — not just to meet requirements, but to honour place.
It also reminds us that this is not a checklist. Designing with Country is a practice that continues to evolve. It asks for humility, generosity, and the recognition that Country holds its own agency.
Most importantly, it leaves us with more questions than answers. And that is the point. These conversations are shaping how we design — with greater care, richer context, and a stronger sense of connection.
When we slow down and design with Country, we create space for care, connection and meaning to emerge. It’s less about having the answers, and more about asking better questions. The challenge is how we choose to listen.