Koorie Heritage Trust by Lyons, Greenaway Architects & Architecture Associates

The new home of the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square, Naarm / Melbourne marks an exciting new chapter for the organisation. Photo: Peter Bennetts.

Located on the banks of the Birrarung / Yarra River, the Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) has become the sole tenant of the Birrarung Building at Federation Square in Naarm / Melbourne. This project embodies architecture as reconciliation, with a culturally attuned, forward-thinking design by Lyons, Greenaway Architects and Architecture Associates.

At its heart, hangs a 20-metre curtain featuring Willie Weston’s Defragmentation design by Lisa Waup - part of a highly considered material selection developed in deep consultation with the Trust and community. The project was recently highlighted on the TV program Australia ByDesign (details below).

Realised as part of a three-way collaboration between Architecture Associates, Greenaway Architects and Lyons, the material palette was informed via extensive collaboration with the client and community. Image: Peter Bennetts.

A large blockout curtain featuring Willie Weston’s Defragmentation design by Lisa Waup serves various functions in the informal gallery, with the option to open the space to a significant view. Image: Australia ByDesign.

Located in the gallery annex, the curtain offers a refined solution to exhibition flexibility - serving as a projection surface, while maintaining critical sightlines to St Paul’s Cathedral, the Flinders Street Station dome, and the culturally significant former Falls site of the River.

As Samuel Hunter of Architecture Associates notes, the building now operates as “a conduit between the city, contemporary culture, and the ancient culture of the Birrarung.” A detailed mapping of the river’s historic course and its associated songlines underpins the design response, informing a layered spatial narrative. This conceptual thread is articulated through a refined material palette that flows seamlessly across all levels.

This feature explores the inclusion of the curtain showcasing Willie Weston’s Defragmentation design by Lisa Waup, following its appearance on Australia ByDesign (segment details below).

Lisa Waup is a mixed-cultural First Nations artist and curator, born in Naarm (Melbourne), with Gunditjmara (VIC), Torres Strait Islander (QLD) and Italian heritage. Her multidisciplinary practice spans weaving, printmaking, photography, sculpture, fashion, and digital art. With a deep connection to the symbolic power of materials, Lisa explores the importance of tracing lost histories and ancestral relationships, and broader narratives relating to Country, motherhood, history, and time.

A participant in the Koorie Heritage Trust’s inaugural Blak Design program, Lisa brought a highly considered visual language to the project. Her artwork resonates strongly with the site’s design: a diamond motif of regional significance decorates columns in the space is echoed in Lisa’s design, while the custom blue palette extends the project’s thematic references to the river. Realised on Willie Weston’s Blockout drapery base cloth, the installation offers visual impact and practical performance, delivering 95% light and UV reduction.

Artist Lisa Waup. Photo: Peter Tarasuik.

Defragmentation by Lisa Waup depicts protective elements detailed in a fragmented wooden shield - translated to represent the pinnacle of protection.

Lisa says, “We are all joined through paths that connect, surround and protect. Protecting history and stories of family, from the past to the present and well into the future.”

Learn more about the design HERE.

The Koorie Heritage Trust project appeared on Australia ByDesign, Episode 2 of Series 7, aired on Channel 10, Sunday 17 August 2025, in the second segment.

Watch the full program HERE.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Koorie Heritage Trust: Peter Bennetts & By Design Australia
Lisa Waup: Peter Tarasuik
Lisa Waup Collection: Martina Gemmola