New vision seeks flexible future for Australia

Grieve Gillett Architects (GGA) has unveiled a vision reimagining the future of the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, known as Tandanya, on Kaurna Country in Adelaide.

Established in 1989, the institution is the oldest First Nations-owned and -run multipurpose centre dedicated to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture. GGA designed the organisation's original space, containing a 300-seat theatre, a retail space, a cafe, galleries, workshops and an 850-square-metre exhibition hall, which is housed within a state-heritage-listed former power station on the north-eastern edge of the Adelaide CBD.

Tandanya was temporarily closed in 2023 for building improvement works. In July 2024, the South Australian government pledged $780,000 towards the work with the aim of assisting Tandanya to reopen in January 2025, noting that further refurbishment works would be required, however the space remains closed.

GGA has unveiled early concepts that would see Tandanya revitalised with a series of flexible volumes, which, according to the architect's statement, aim "to bring new life and cultural expression back into the space, following a period of limited activation."

"Rather than proposing definitive outcomes, the design thinking considers how the existing built fabric could be opened up, peeled back and re-oriented to landscape and Country, allowing daylight, movement and culture to flow through and around the building," the architect's statement notes.

A new courtyard at the centre of the space is designed to form the heart of the precinct. GGA's vision also includes a reworked entrance from the adjacent eastern parklands and a semi-public "street" through the building. Together, these devices support a conceptual "stitching together [of] exterior and interior, foreground and backdrop" with landscape.

According to Tandanya CEO Brenz Saunders, "The early concepts developed by Grieve Gillett Architects invite us to look at Tandanya not just as a building, but as a living cultural place grounded on Kaurna Country. The visualisations respond to the many histories held by the building and respectfully incorporate Aboriginal culture, community and Country in the heart of the concept.

"Through thoughtful design, new landscaped connections, renewed performance spaces and adaptable areas for making, gathering and storytelling, the concept opens up new possibilities for how Tandanya can be used and shared.

"There is a deep continuity in this work, given the architects' role in shaping the site's original transformation in the 1980s, and that legacy helps guide how we think about its future," Saunders said.

GGA director Heather Wasley added, "The work acknowledges the site's layered history and considers how Country, culture and community could again play a more visible role in the cultural life of SA, with a design approach that peels away layers, introduces landscaping, revitalised theatre spaces, and flexible environments for working, gathering, exhibitions and events.

"Having originated the site's transformation into an Aboriginal gallery and cultural centre in the 1980s, this reflects a longstanding connection to the place and is intended to inform future thinking about the site," Wasley noted.

GGA notes that at this stage, the proposal is exploratory only and "does not represent a resolved or funded project, but a considered architectural reimagining intended to inform future thinking and contribute to ongoing conversations about how Tandanya might continue to evolve as a cultural and civic heart on Kaurna Country."

Future development is subject to further consultation, funding and development processes.