Project
AURECON
Country
Client
Year
Location
Our Role
Team
Collborators
Whadjuk Boodjar
Aurecon Engineering
2024
Perth / Boorloo
Public Art and Cultural Activation Team
Peter Farmer, Miranda Farmer, Peter Farmer Junior, Jason Hirst, Rosie McCutcheon, Oliver Chiari
Woods Bagot Architects, Renascent
“We wanted to remind people who travel through the space of the older world – our connection to the natural environment.”
MIRANDA FARMER, CULTURAL ADVISOR
The Aurecon Boorloo Perth workplace refurbishment was developed as a culturally embedded spatial experience that connects staff and visitors to Whadjuk Noongar Country through storytelling, movement, and art. Delivered collaboratively by Peter Farmer Designs and Little Rhino Designs, the project explored how Indigenous narratives could be integrated within a contemporary workplace environment through a series of large-scale sculptural and spatial interventions.
The design package consisted of five interconnected artwork installations distributed throughout the workplace, including the Welcome Wall, Welcome Roof, Staircase Installation, Void Coolamon Lighting, and Terrace Design. Each intervention responded directly to themes of community, gathering, waterways, movement, and the celestial stories of Noongar Boodja, creating a continuous cultural journey throughout the three-level office space.
Drawing from the stories of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), Biddi travel lines, and the movement of the Maadjit/Waagyl Rainbow Serpent, the installations translated traditional Noongar symbolism into contemporary forms using aluminium, lighting, perforation, and sculptural detailing. The works were designed to create moments of reflection, connection, and curiosity, while reinforcing Aurecon’s vision for a collaborative, inclusive, and people-focused workplace.
OUR DESIGN PROCESS
The project began with cultural consultation and research into Whadjuk Noongar stories, waterways, Biddi travel lines, and the significance of Boorloo. Through collaboration with Peter Farmer and the wider design team, key narratives surrounding community, movement, gathering, and connection to Country were established as the foundation of the project.
Initial concepts were translated into spatial interventions across the workplace, including the Welcome Wall, Welcome Roof, Staircase Installation, Void Lighting, and Terrace Design. Sketching, mapping, and digital modelling were used to integrate Indigenous storytelling within the architectural layout and user journey throughout the three-level office environment.
The artwork installations were then refined through 3D modelling, prototyping, and material exploration. Aluminium fabrication methods, lighting systems, perforation techniques, and structural integration were developed to ensure the installations responded both aesthetically and technically within the workplace environment.
The final stage focused on fabrication, finishing, and on-site installation. Using laser-cut, cast, and powder-coated aluminium elements alongside integrated lighting systems, the artworks were brought into physical form, creating an immersive cultural experience embedded throughout the Aurecon Boorloo Perth workplace.
The project combined cultural consultation, concept development, digital modelling, fabrication, and installation into a unified design process. Through the integration of Indigenous storytelling within architecture and interior space, the Aurecon Boorloo Perth refurbishment demonstrates how contemporary workplaces can meaningfully connect to Country while creating immersive and engaging environments for the wider community.
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