Yirranma Place Signage

Scope:
Identity, Signage

Yirranma Place is a community precinct for social purpose with philanthropy at its heart. An adaptive reuse by SJB and Cornerstone Property and commissioned by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Yirranma Place is the largest philanthropy centre in Australia. The site has had a rich and varied history, including periods as a church, a school and a circus.

Yirranma Place will be home to the Paul Ramsay Foundation’s new social enterprise incubator, an initiative that aims to grow the pool and impact of social enterprises and for-purpose organisations working to disrupt disadvantage in Australia.

Photograph by Anson Smart

Stories

Photograph by Anson Smart

The portico features specially commissioned three metre-high, three panel gates – blacksmithed by Uncle Badger (William Brian) Bates a Barkandji Elder working with Matt Mewburn of Eveleigh Works. They illustrate the stories that are critical to the life and world view of the Barkandji people.

The portico also features a lino-cut ceiling mural, which appears as a stunning black and white backdrop when looking through the entry and depicts the Emu in the Sky, with the gap between the top of the gates and the ceiling symbolising the transition from day to night, and from earth to sky.

Photograph by Romello Pereira

Design System

The influence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples extends throughout the building. The naming system for the rooms was intended to instil a sense of layered identities, histories and memories. Travelling through the building, visitors encounter welcoming stories of place that work to enhance a sense of community.