City Square Ceremonial Gathering Space

The design responds to a complex civic and cultural brief for a highly visible ceremonial gathering place, developed within a complex stakeholder and operational environment and requiring endorsement by Traditional Owners, State Government, City of Melbourne, and MTM. It integrates a welcoming space within a busy public realm while maintaining pedestrian flow, event flexibility, and access to the train station. Aligned with the broader plaza design, including paving and vehicle access, it softens the landscape to reflect Connection to Country. The project embeds Wurundjeri values through culturally appropriate language and wayfinding, while addressing durability, maintenance, security, and long-term adaptability.

Commissioned after completion of the square’s design documentation, the project required careful integration into an already resolved public realm. The ceremonial space is positioned centrally, ensuring prominence while maintaining efficient pedestrian movement and event flexibility. Early coordination addressed constraints around circulation, train station operations, and smoke management. The rotating, lockable smoking ceremony dish emerged as a key innovation, balancing safety, durability, and ceremonial expression, introducing a moment of theatre when opened. Seating, planting, and interpretive elements were cohesively designed to reinforce cultural narratives and Connection to Country, resolving technical, operational, and cultural requirements into a unified, functional, and symbolic outcome.

The project delivers strong social impact by embedding Wurundjeri culture and knowledge within a prominent civic setting, fostering understanding, respect, and Connection to Country. Co-designed with Wurundjeri Elders, it supports cultural expression, education, and inclusion while strengthening civic identity and shared pride. Economically, it enables opportunities through cultural activation and ongoing use. Environmentally, its durable, low-maintenance design ensures longevity and responsible resource use. By making culture visible in everyday transit and gathering spaces, the project transforms the public realm into a place of learning, reflection, and ongoing dialogue, supporting cultural continuity for future generations.

Key features centre on the integration of a bronze Smoking Ceremony Dish and gathering space that accommodates both formal ceremony and informal yarning, enabling cultural practices to be experienced in situ. Woi-wurrung language is embedded within a bespoke ground plane paving pattern which creates a distinct treatment from the rest of the plaza. Semi-circular granite seating incorporates etched artwork by a Wurundjeri artist which draws inspiration from Willam Barak’s iconic diamond motif, while the manna gum leaf motif embossed on the dish and etched into its granite plinth, originates from a sketch by a Wurundjeri Elder, embedding authorship and cultural authority. Interpretive signage serves to strengthen public awareness and learning while fostering respectful engagement.Materiality is integral to the design. The bronze dish is designed to patinate over time, reflecting use and touch, while the stone plinth—sourced from Country—grounds the element and enables the dish and lid to cantilever with a sense of lightness. Within the dish, a pattern referencing the manna-gum flower acknowledges the species used in ceremony. Surrounding planting, selected in consultation with Wurundjeri Elders, reinforces ecological and cultural connections, ensuring the space is both symbolically rich and experientially grounded.