Melbourne Indigenous Transition School - Boarding House

The design process placed an emphasis on cultural sensitivity and wellbeing for the students while also celebrating the rich history of their communities. To achieve this, the design breaks down the building into two key components: a street-facing billboard celebrating indigenous culture and acting as a beacon for the community and a harder-working boarding facility at the rear of the site.

The street-facing façade, designed in collaboration with Indigenous artist Lorraine Kabbindi White, is a landmark billboard for MITS, featuring a laser-cut perforated screen telling the Dreamtime story of the ’First Bees.’ This story wraps the façade and delivers an “always was, always will be” statement for MITS and the broader community.

Inside, the facility is split across three levels. On the ground floor, the administration headquarters presents a warm welcome at the front of the building, while key student social spaces spilling out into courtyards occupy the rear of the site. Upstairs, there are spaces to socialise, study, and sleep. Informal gathering areas and study zones allow students to come together, while the thoughtfully designed dorm rooms, each with individual study nooks, effectively integrate solo study and sleep.

Design elements throughout the building take inspiration from each of the communities that the students hail from. Upholstery, furnishings, lighting, artwork and wayfinding graphics tell the stories of these places and help connect students with their home away from home.

Outside, across terraces and courtyards, native plants fill the gardens, echoing the pre-colonial landscape of the area. The large play area features a poured paving artwork by Trawlwoolway artist Edwina Green, reflecting the ways in which rain moves across Country. On the roof, an expansive terrace offers spectacular city views and provides students and visitors with a unique gathering place among native landscape.

While environmentally sustainable measures have been addressed throughout the project, including screening of the west-facing glass, the use of native planting, and natural ventilation, this project fundamentally champions good design through social sustainability by providing Indigenous students a safe, culturally affirming space that fosters community, identity, and academic success.

Through thoughtful design and collaborative engagement with Indigenous stakeholders, the building promotes cultural celebration and connectivity while addressing systemic barriers to education. Indigenous stories and artwork are embedded throughout, and communal spaces that reflect the students’ diverse backgrounds enhance a sense of belonging, social cohesion, and resilience.

This approach supports the well-being and empowerment of current students while also laying the groundwork for future generations, creating a lasting impact on Indigenous students in Melbourne, and advancing social equity within the built environment.

In contrast to its heritage colonial surroundings, the building showcases Indigenous narrative through an operable perforated screen designed by Lorraine Kabbindi-White, a Melbourne-based artist, MITS teacher, and Gunmok woman.

The materiality has also been carefully considered, resulting in spaces that are calming and durable. Equally, artwork, furnishings, and fabrics designed by Indigenous artists have been thoughtfully woven throughout the design and selected from the regions that students call home.

MITS successfully delivers flexible living spaces with a series of generous rooms that can be openly reconfigured. These operate in dialogue with the courtyards sited on the northern and southern site boundaries, creating a flexible gathering space that can accommodate the entire MITS cohort or smaller groups, all the while seamlessly connecting to the outdoors.

Beyond meeting the specific demands outlined in the brief, the project showcases how good design can cultivate connection to Country and a sense of cultural safety and, in turn, aid in the continuous journey of reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.

In response to the identified issues of cultural safety, isolation and diminishing engagement & learning outcomes for students, the building has been designed to be so much more than a boarding house. It tells the story of MITS, weaving Indigenous identity with the local landscape, and provides a physical and spiritual home to over 100 students in a unique and culturally sensitive way.

Deliberate design elements throughout the building connect students to Country - taking inspiration from each of the communities that the students hail from, including Gunaikurnai Country, Maningrida, Ramingining, Jabiru, Elcho Island and Milingimbi. Upholstery, soft furnishings and wallpaper selections, lighting, artwork and wayfinding graphics all tell the stories of these places and help to connect students with their home away from home.
Natural timbers and warm, earthy tones interlaced with touches of green, ochre and clay reflect the native Australian landscape, while curved furniture and joinery elements draw inspiration from the wavy linework, representing water formations, used in Indigenous artwork.

Outside, across terraces and courtyards, the native landscape reflects the pre-colonial landscape of the area. As the gardens mature, this will be a significant regenerative statement, perhaps the largest example in Richmond. A large play area features a poured paving artwork by Trawlwoolway artist Edwina Green, reflecting the colours of Wurundjeri Country and the ways in which rain moves across Country.

Design collaborations continue through the predominant architectural language of the building. Working with Indigenous artist Lorraine Kabbindi-White, the laser-cut perforated screen tells the Dreamtime story of the First Bees. This story wraps the façade and acts as a landmark “always was, always will be” statement for MITS, its students and the community. Integrated operable screens shade west-facing windows & animate the building along the street frontage.

The project aims to advance the practice of architecture by demonstrating the efficacy of culturally sensitive and collaborative design approaches in addressing the unique needs of Indigenous Australians.

This has been achieved through meaningful collaboration with indigenous stakeholders, fostering a more inclusive and participatory design process that prioritises community empowerment and self-determination. Input from Wurundjeri elders, MITS staff, students and the broader community has led to a collaborative design that aims to address, represent & galvanise the people who inhabit the building, creating a connected, vibrant and sustainable community.

The flagship boarding facility will have a long-lasting and positive impact on the lives of hundreds of Indigenous students from regional Victoria and The Northern Territory, allowing them to remain connected to their culture and peers while accessing quality education. By providing them with a culturally sensitive home-away-from-home – the risk of social isolation and diminished learning outcomes is reduced, reinforcing the vision of The Melbourne Indigenous Transition School: To create pathways to greater opportunity for Indigenous students so that they may lead lives full of choice and opportunity.

In the words of Ed Tudor, MITS CEO, “371 Church St provides opportunity, warmth, safety and connection.” He goes on to say, “Perhaps most importantly, 371 allows us to tell the stories of our students and their cultures by celebrating art from across our communities.”