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Our Work

Djinjama merges Aboriginal ways of thinking, cultural practices and community narratives into projects to ensure they are Country centred. Our approach recognises the multiple perspectives of Knowledge Holders to design with Country.

Spatial Design

As qualified First Nations designers with a diversity of disciplines in our team, we work to bring to life the project vision while embedding Country and culture into the centre of our thinking through a culturally responsive Designing with Country approach. In our role as spatial designers, we engage with architectural design, landscape design, and interior space projects. As Country-centred designers who encourage Country-led approaches we bring a unique perspective that considers the environment holistically to deliver unique design outcomes and considers all users of the space, be they human or non-human.

Interpretive and Object Design

Storytelling is a fundamental part of First Nations cultures and spaces. Interpretive design offers the chance for key cultural, heritage, historical or environmental stories of places to be embedded into the design responses, including the design of objects. Interpretive designs create narrative immersive environments. This can be through spatial mediums, signage, motifs and language, object design, public art, and other provocations. Our work ensures the First Nations story of Country is given voice and space. Our intent is to enrich understandings of places that include deep history, deep time and culture.

Cultural Mapping

Cultural mapping is a process of using mapping methodologies to identify and document local and meaningful narratives, practices, places, relationships and histories. For Aboriginal Peoples cultural mapping records their living knowledges of the landscape, and includes intangible aspects such as languages and caring for Country activities. Cultural mapping can integrate archival records and documentation plus details from First Nations community members. Cultural mapping is an important part of the Reading Country process for First Nations communities. The intersection of cultural and landscape maps integrates considerations of biodiversity and culture to enable a more holistic reading of the landscape. Our cultural mapping is designed to support this important process, regardless of whether in an urban or countryside setting.

Co-Creation and Curation

To co-create or curate a process and outcome for design, we will regularly collaborate with First Nations peoples such as Elders and Knowledge Holders to ensure our work is informed by their cultural authority. Their guidance is implemented through a co-design process into spatial designs such as architectural structures or urban and landscape designs, or interpretive or performative outcomes such as integrated artworks incorporated into structures, curated art, audio landscapes, audio visuals, signage and objects. We often team up community engagement experts to facilitate the engagement.

Design Guidance

Collaborating with other built environment professionals and clients on projects such as masterplans, urban design and planning, placemaking strategies, precinct plans, architecture, and landscape architecture brings a Country-centred approach to the project through our work. Through meaningful engagement with key First Nations community members our work ensures Country and community values are embedded into the project through a Connecting with Country framework, rather than added as an afterthought. Importantly, community aspirations for Country are integrated and interpreted genuinely as design, planning or spatial outcomes that improve the health and wellbeing of Country.

Advocacy and Research

Advocating for the rights of Country, culture, First Nations peoples and kin promotes considerations for their needs in spatial and other built outcomes. Our research aims to support First Nations peoples’ aspirations in culturally sensitive yet impactful ways. We produce strategies and guidance relating to policies on matters that affect First Nations peoples more generally, as well as design and built environment specific research. Our work includes cultural mapping and countermapping to share the untold stories and histories of places using mapping techniques and technologies.
View Our Design Projects Here
View Our Research and Publications Here
WE COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS SUCH AS :
  • Upgrades and refurbishments
  • Cultural mapping
  • Installation design
  • Architectural design
  • Environmental design
  • Experiential design
  • Interpretation strategies
  • Public art projects
  • Curation
  • Master plans
  • Place-making strategies
  • Precinct plans
  • Urban planning
  • Speculative design and pilots
  • Collaborative and co-design
WE BRING OUR EXPRTISE TO A DIVERSE RANGE OF SECTORS:
  • Culture
  • Community
  • Education
  • Health
  • Recreation
  • Transport
  • Workplaces 

Awards

2025

Good Design Awards —
Social Impact

Winner — AMRF (First Building) 

2025

International Architecture Award —
Museums and Cultural Buildings

Winner— Ngurra Precinct

2025

Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards —
Public Architecture

Shortlisted — AMRF (First Building) 

2025

Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards —
Commercial Architecture

Commended — AMRF (First Building) 

2025

Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards —
Sustainable Architecture

Winner — AMRF (First Building) 

2025

Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards —
Premiers Prize

Winner — AMRF (First Building) 

2025

Architecture Australia—
Prize for Unbuilt Work

Shortlisted — Ngurra Precinct

2024

Interpretation Australia Awards—
Interpretation Planning and Design

Winner — Parklife Metro Western Sydney Airport

2024

Indigenous Leadership Awards—
Contributions to Indigenous Excellence
at Western Sydney University Award

Winner — Western Sydney University Indigenous Centre of Excellence, Cultural Design Brief 

2024

Sustainability Building Awards—
Public Building

Shortlisted — Redfern Community Facility

2024

Sustainability Building Awards—
Adaptive Reuse (Alteration/Addition)

Shortlisted — Redfern Community Facility

2024

 AGDA Awards—
Wayfinding and Signage

Distinction — Redfern Community Facility

2024

Australian Institute of Architects—
EmAGN Project Award

Shortlisted — Redfern Community Facility

2024

Australian Institute of Architects—
Creative Adaptation Heritage Architecture

Winner — Redfern Community Facility

2024

National Trust—
Heritage Architecture Prize

Winner — Redfern Community Facility

2023

Randwick City Architecture and Urban Design Awards—
Best Urban Project 

Highly Commended — Guruwaal, (as part of Alumni Green at UNSW)

2023

International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)
Asia Pacific Region—
Cultural and Urban Landscape Category

Honorable Mention — Guruwaal, (as part of Alumni Green at UNSW)

2023

Australian Institute of Architects—
Urban Design

Shortlisted — Guruwaal, (as part of Alumni Green at UNSW)

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© 2023 - 2025 - All Rights Are Reserved

Djinjama honours our connections to Country, community, culture and kin through our work. Djinjama’s projects actively interact with lands, waters and air, and as such we actively protect the rights of Country to be healthy in our work. We respect Traditional Custodians who have long cared for Country and aim to elevate First Voices in all our work. We are grateful to Elders and Knowledge Holders for their continued sharing of wisdom, story, language, and knowledge.

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