A combination of tradition and modernity
arki_lab is designing a masterplan for the future IYORIA Retirement and Age care estate together with Aboriginal Elders at the Sydney Olympic park area in Sydney. IYORIA is about modern aged care built on tradition with the goal of reconnecting the eldest members of the oldest living civilisation in the world to their lifeblood. The vision plan seeks to create a safe environment for Elders to rebuild connections to their traditions and the land by bringing together natural elements with state of the art aged care.

Several workshops have been carried out, the first one in spring 2022. Here arki_lab ran a Discover, Dream and Design workshop, using our arki_nopoly engagement game, together with several Aboriginal Elders and the organisation Tranby Aboriginal Co-Operative, which is Australia’s oldest independent Indigenous education provider.

The intention of the workshop was to make sure we got all the Elders’ inputs on challenges, wishes and ideas for the project, that we then are able to harvest from, and implement in the masterplan proposal. In this way we ensure that we are not just designing a new community for them or to them, but with them.

arki_lab is collaborating with the local Sydney-based office Christopher Jordan Architecture & Design that focuses on the building design, while we are designing the masterplan layout and the incorporation of the social values.