NAIDOC Week 2026: Designing With Respect for Country at Wurdi Baierr Aquatic and Recreation Centre
NAIDOC Week 2026 marks 50 years of celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements. For Peddle Thorp Architects, it is an opportunity to reflect on how public architecture can respond to Country in a meaningful and considered way.
When a public building is designed on Country, its relationship to place should be considered from the beginning.
At Wurdi Baierr Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Torquay, this has been central to the design approach. Located on Wadawurrung Country, the project is shaped by ideas of gathering, movement, water, landscape and community use.
As NAIDOC Week 2026 marks 50 years of celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements, Wurdi Baierr offers a timely reflection on how architecture can respond to Country through careful listening, design thinking and detail.
A Place for Big Gatherings
The name Wurdi Baierr means Big Gatherings, setting an important foundation for the project.
As a civic aquatic and recreation centre, the facility is being designed to bring people together through health, recreation, play, learning and shared community use.
This idea of gathering has informed the project beyond its function. It has shaped how the building responds to its setting and how the design can support a sense of connection for the Surf Coast community.
Responding to Wadawurrung Country
Early insights with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners helped inform the design narrative for the centre.
The project draws from the surrounding Surf Coast landscape, including sand and grass Country, coastal vegetation, cliff faces, beaches, ochre tones, water movement and the meeting of sea and sky.
These references have guided the design through materiality, colour, landscape and spatial experience. Rather than applying cultural response as a separate layer, the project looks to embed these ideas into the way the building is experienced.
Water, Movement and Material Detail
Within the Aquaplay area, the design narrative continues through the mosaic floor treatment.
The floor tile design has been developed to create a sense of movement across the play space, with wave and tide impressions flowing through the surface. Small format tiles allow for variation in colour and pattern, helping to create a more natural transition across the Aquaplay area.
The palette draws from the surrounding coastal context, moving through tones that reference water, sand, vegetation and play. These details help connect the activity of the space with the broader landscape narrative of the project.
Carrying Design Intent Through Delivery
A meaningful design response depends on how ideas are carried through from concept to construction.
For Wurdi Baierr, this has meant continuing to refine material selections and tile layouts as the project progresses, balancing cultural intent, visual outcome, durability, availability and buildability.
These decisions may appear small in isolation, but they play an important role in shaping how the finished building will feel and function. They also demonstrate how early design narratives can continue to guide practical decisions during delivery.
A Community Place With Lasting Meaning
Wurdi Baierr Aquatic and Recreation Centre is being designed as a public place for gathering, wellbeing and community connection.
This NAIDOC Week, Peddle Thorp Architects reflects on the importance of designing with respect for Country and acknowledges the continuing culture, knowledge and connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
At Wurdi Baierr, that responsibility is being carried through the project with care, from the broader civic purpose of the centre to the details that shape how people will experience it every day.
