The way home

This landmark project saw the transformation of a former City of Sydney depot into an award-winning urban renewal project in the heart of Redfern at 11 Gibbons Street.

Completed in June 2021, the 162-unit, 18-storey building now provides 40 social and 120 affordable housing units.

Artefact was engaged by St George Community Housing to develop an Aboriginal Archaeological Survey Report, a Statement of Heritage Impact and an Aboriginal Heritage Design Integration report for the development. 

Image:  Flowing Joe Hurst designs on the soffits of the building. 

OUR
SOLUTION

Artefact’s Heritage Interpretation team worked with well-known Aboriginal artist the late Joe Hurst and Boomalli Aboriginal Artist Cooperative to develop design concepts that related to locally significant landscape features and stories.

Joe Hurst further developed the concepts around the theme ‘the way home’ which reflected the fact the building site was originally a meeting place where waterways all converge.

His beautiful flowing artworks were then integrated within the building design – in terrazzo floor patterns, wall features, designs on the soffits that were illuminated at night, as well as landscaping and paving graphics in the rooftop garden.

The result was permanent, highly-visible and respectful artworks throughout the whole space that tenants and visitors could enjoy and reflect upon.


SUCCESS

Artefact was proud to have worked on this groundbreaking social housing development, and especially to see that 45% of the building’s units are now occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

11 Gibbons Street won the Master Builders Association NSW ‘Excellence in State’ award 2022, the Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Award Affordable Development 2021, and was recently heralded by the Government Architect NSW as a flagship project with a Connecting with Country approach.

The expert advice and hard work over the last 6 months has culminated in a great project and a scheme that we at St George Community Housing are really proud of. Most importantly – it will deliver 160 new dwellings for people in need.”

Kim Gray, Development Manager - St George Community Housing

Image: Joe Hurst interpretation inside 11 Gibbons Street Redfern. 


CONTACT

HOLIDAY CLOSE
Our offices will be closed from Monday 23 Dec 2024 and will re-open on Monday 6 Jan 2025.
For unexpected finds and urgent project enquiries, please contact our Heritage Manager Stephanie Moore at stephanie.moore@artefact.net.au or call 0420 403 581.
For all other enquires please contact our General Manager Martin Edmunds at martin.edmunds@artefact.net.au or call 0404 877 490.
We wish you a peaceful holiday break and look forward to working with you in 2025.

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