By Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
The original brief was to design and deliver a suite of spaces bespoke to the complex needs of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. The unique facility is made up of three distinct zones; hearing space; witness suite and support facilities.
Key architectural drivers include cultural storytelling, user equity, and affirming open-mindedness – responding to the diverse and oftentimes traumatic backgrounds of the people who inhabit it. The architecture has been composed to portray a sense of softness, clarity, and order. This is a safe place for people to tell their stories.
The planning strategy focusses on establishing key adjacencies between public, witness and staff areas and the integration of acoustics, security lines and interspatial awareness. A concise architectural language extends over a range of scales – each with a critical focus on the user interface. Authentic materially, tactility and intuitive wayfinding culminate to provide a positive and uplifting user experience throughout the premises.
The project outcome is a holistic and welcoming environment with considered architectural interventions that foster accessibility, equity, and inclusiveness.
Designgroup Stapleton Elliott is a design lead practice with a collaborative studio that fosters creative contributions from all our talented staff and specialist consultants we collaborate with.
We specialise in a wide range of work delivering design excellence in projects ranging from urban regeneration, master planning, education, public buildings, commercial buildings, interiors and housing.
We encourage diversity of thinking resulting in design solutions that are creative, intelligent and well considered.
“We focus on achieving the highest levels of design”
We strive to achieve the highest levels of design through researching, questioning and internally reviewing each design to ensure we reach the best possible outcome.
Our work is characterised by strong conceptual clarity and design efficiency resulting in innovative and enduring sustainable outcomes.
DGSE is widely recognised for its award winning architecture which has achieved national and international recognition.