The Uluru Statement from the Heart centres around voice, treaty and truth. It emphasises the concept of Makarrata - a coming together after a struggle, encouraging equal dialogue between First Nations people and other Australians to engage with the fundamentals of ‘truth’ and justice’.

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Most current ideas address the issues that aboriginal people face at a tertiary level—by then, it is too late as people have already accumulated prejudices throughout their youth. Instead, outreach programs need to be designed to target the community at childhood, encouraging a culture of social sensitivity, awareness and compassionate empathy for First Nations people.

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‘Nura’ is the Dharawal word for ‘country’ or ‘place’ and ‘Montessori’ refers to a scientific child-focused educational approach, in which children are allowed to free roam and explore during class.

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Through the exploration of formal and informal elements of educational programs, and an emphasis on learning through observation and exploration, the proposed Montessori/Creche aims to inspire and encourage a new generation of people in the pursuit of cultural-awareness and truth-telling.

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I wanted to use the Dharawal calendar as the central focus of my design. Sun studies were conducted to observe shadow patterns at the beginning of each season, which helped to define specific angles for the ramps. 

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Each section of the sloped roofs feature carefully-selected native plants that are arranged in order of the seasons in which they bloom, starting from Burrugin (June-July) at the top of the embankment to Marrai’gang (April). This creates an ever-changing biophilic experience as different plants will be in bloom depending on the time of year of one’s visit. 

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To bridge the gaps in the roof layers, I incorporated interactive play features like climbing nets and a rock wall to encourage active play and engagement. Furthermore, the roof design also provides opportunities for passive surveillance into the creche on the ground floor as an extra layer of security.

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A fundamental part of indigenous culture is the yarning circle. In the creche, the story time area at the heart-shaped sandpit is flexible to accommodate both indoor and outdoor situations, allowing children to experience a sensory story-time experience surrounded by nature.