Responding to the threatened eviction of vital community groups, this proposal reimagines the historic Old Clairvaux sites in the Blue Mountains as a permanent Community and Cultural Hub. For generations, the site has served as a crucial gathering place for local and First Nations organisations, including the Aboriginal Cultural and Resource Centre, the Gundungurra Tribal Council, and the Wild Plant Nursery. It also holds a sensitive history as part of a residential care network linked to members of the Stolen Generations, a past that requires a design approach centered on healing and respect.
The vision is for a dynamic hub that keeps the site firmly in community hands, offering affordable creative studios, workshops, and spaces for artists and local organisations. Programs will centre on creative and circular economies, social enterprise, and innovation, with First Nations culture at the heart. Dedicated spaces will allow for culturally appropriate men's and women's business, healing, artmaking, gatherings, celebrations, and workshops.
The architectural strategy prioritises working with the existing structures, recognising that memory is embedded in the site. Any intervention is handled with profound care, ensuring the design honours a complex legacy while providing a safe, welcoming home for future creativity, connection, and cultural continuity.
