Cox Inall Ridgeway has deep experience in the First Nations design, landscape, and development sector. We are leaders in storytelling of place and do so through connecting sustainability of Country and culture into our engagement and advice. Our consultants are advising on some of the most significant Connecting with Country projects currently underway and our General Manager, Yatu Widders Hunt, was on the NSW Connecting with Country Cultural Advisory Panel as the Government Architect NSW developed the draft Connecting with Country Framework.
A Connecting with Country approach embeds First Nations voices and Country at the center of design and planning processes
CIR builds relationships with First Nations communities and stakeholders through genuine and culturally appropriate engagement to entrench Indigenous perspectives and insights at all stages of our projects.
The Connecting with Country Framework is a relatively new concept for proponents in the built environment sector and CIR prides itself on facilitating the transition from conceptual approaches to practical advice. Connecting with Country applies a localised and First Nations cultural lens and places significant focus on:
- First Nations community engagement
- Cultural heritage management
- Access and use of land and waters
- Benefits and cultural levies to First Nations people
- Place making
- Cultural knowledge
- Environmental sustainability and leaving Country stronger than it was
- Incorporating Indigenous design principles
Our experience in the Connecting with Country space provides value for the both the communities we engage with and the clients who seek our expertise. Our work supports design, planning, and industry engagement with Aboriginal culture and heritage for each and every project. By grounding our projects in community knowledge and voices we ensure that our projects:
- Protect the health and wellbeing of Country and therefore of Aboriginal communities, and by extension all communities; and
- Embed Aboriginal knowledge into the design and planning of our built environment to make Country a better place for all.
The Connecting with Country Framework provides great opportunities for architects, designers, and place-makers to challenge the way they perceive First Nations history and culture as well as developing relationships with First Nations communities that are both meaningful and reciprocal. The Framework asks us all to commit to helping support the health and wellbeing of Country by valuing, respecting, and being guided by Aboriginal people, who know that if we care for Country – it will care for us.
If you require assistance with a project that incorporates Connecting with Country or Indigenous design principles, please don’t hesitate in contacting one of our team members.