Designing for healing in Central Queensland

A proposed Healing and Transition facility in Central Queensland brings safety, accommodation and connection to culture into a shared setting. AWF Network Partners HGA Studio and Tract Consultants are working with a regional Indigenous community and Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID) to support its development.

The facility will provide dignified accommodation for women and children escaping domestic and family violence, alongside a secure environment for vulnerable people moving in and out of community. Its purpose combines an immediate need for safety with spaces that can support everyday activities, community connection and access to services.

Beginning with community knowledge

HGA Studio conducted on-Country consultations with service delivery experts, Traditional Owners, Elders and community members. These conversations informed a concept that brings accommodation, workshops, consulting rooms, offices and community spaces together around a sheltered central courtyard.

The arrangement places shared space at the centre of the proposal, while accommodating the different activities the facility needs to support. Local materials and opportunities for art, shared cooking and learning about culture and Country are integral to the concept.

This approach recognises that a building’s usefulness depends on how well it responds to the people who will use it. Community knowledge and the experience of those delivering services provide an essential foundation for the design.

Connecting design with service delivery

CQID coordinates and delivers services across child safety, community support, family support, alcohol and other drugs services, and economic development. Its service area covers a footprint larger than the state of Victoria, placing this project within a substantial network of community work.

Alongside HGA Studio’s design contribution, Tract Consultants is providing planning advice to support the project’s progress. AWF’s role is to help connect the community’s priorities with the professional expertise needed to develop the proposal.

The project is at concept stage. Its ambition is a place where dignified accommodation and practical support can sit alongside culture, learning and community life. We are proud to support a community with a clear vision for a facility intended to make a lasting difference.