Journal
25.02.2025
From Commitment to Practice: Embedding First Nations Culture in Our Design Process
Following the launch of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan LINK HERE, we’re sharing how we’re putting our commitments into practice. Our RAP established our intentions—now we’re developing frameworks that transform these intentions into action. This journal entry explores our evolving approach to embedding First Nations perspectives in our design process, creating a bridge between our stated commitments and our daily practice.
At BKK, embedding First Nations culture within our projects is not a linear process but a cyclical and evolving practice, guided by our framework principles: Knowledge Gathering, Identifying Opportunities, Creating Connections, Embedding, and Reflection. These principles shape how we approach collaboration, ensuring that engagement with Traditional Owners is not a tokenistic gesture but a meaningful exchange that informs both process and outcome.
Barwon Heads Road
BKK’s knowledge necklace: A symbolic object passed around the office to spark conversation and deeper investigation into First Nations histories, fostering ongoing learning and engagement.
BKK’s walk on Country at Garambi Baanj Cultural Precinct were we learned about the cultural significance of the nearby eel traps.
Knowledge Gathering
Our work begins with listening and learning. Before any formal engagement, we undertake research to understand the Country we are working on—its histories, its ecologies, and its ongoing cultural significance. This includes walking on Country, engaging with existing records and narratives, and identifying the Traditional Owners who hold cultural authority. This initial phase ensures we come to the table informed, ready to listen rather than impose.
Duke St’s walk on Country in Abbotsford along the Birrarung identifying the native flora of the area which ultimately influenced the interiors colour palate on the project.
Identifying Opportunities
From this foundation, we look for ways to connect with First Nations voices. Opportunities for engagement can take many forms, from formal partnerships with Traditional Owner Corporations to more informal conversations with Elders, artists, and cultural practitioners. The aim is not to dictate the terms of engagement but to remain open to how Traditional Owners wish to be involved.
Cultural awareness training with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) planting day on Herring Island.
Creating Connections
Building on these opportunities, we actively foster relationships with First Nations consultants and cultural leaders. This is where co-design can truly begin—by creating space for First Nation perspectives to shape the project. Our role is to support and facilitate, not to determine what cultural knowledge should be embedded. Cultural expression must always come from First Nations voices; our responsibility is to listen, amplify, and integrate their wisdom into the process.
Earth samples from the project site, representing deep Country, that will be used as rammed earth signage pillars throughout the project.
The glazed panels on the Barwon Heads bridge feature a sequence of illustrations of a swan in flight by local First Nations Artist Stephanie Skinner.
Embedding
True co-design happens when First Nations knowledge and priorities become part of the project’s fabric, not an external layer applied late in the process. This means ensuring that the design team, the client, and all stakeholders understand the depth and value of engagement. Embedding culture is not about symbolic gestures but about designing with care, responsiveness, and a commitment to place-based outcomes that honour Traditional Owner perspectives.
Patterns of familiar birds including swans, pelicans, egrets and Latham’s Snipe stenciled into the concrete SUP at Barwon Heads Road. Unique cultural markers, reflecting our understanding that authentic engagement, like the ecosystem these birds inhabit, requires observation, adaptation, and respect for different ways of moving through the world.
Geometric patterns on these wall panels reference the impressive basalt columns of the Organ Pipes National Park. The hexagonal columns were formed about a million years ago when molten lava ejected from volcanoes flowing over the Keilor Plains.
Reflection
Our approach is not static—it is iterative and adaptive. We revisit these principles throughout the design process, ensuring that engagement is ongoing rather than a one-time consultation. Relationship-building continues beyond project milestones, allowing each project to contribute to a growing knowledge base. Internally, we document and share our learnings, recognising knowledge as an asset that strengthens our future work. Reflection enables us to refine our practice, ensuring that each project deepens our understanding and commitment to genuine co-design with First Nations communities.
By working within this framework, we acknowledge that every project, every place, and every relationship will be different. And that’s not only expected—it’s essential.