Anindilyakwa Land Council Fitout

DLG SHAPE was engaged by the Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC), the peak representative body for the Traditional Owners of the Groote Archipelago, for the delivery of its new internal office fitout. To accommodate its and Groote Holdings Aboriginal Corporation (GHAC) employees, the scope of works involved the design and construction delivery of private offices, an open workstation area, a boardroom, and kitchen space.

The unique element of this fitout is the incorporation of cultural artistic features throughout, including hand crafted spears representing the 14 Clans of Groote Eylandt, which were provided by Clan members and installed into the boardroom ceiling. Several dash art paintings and prints that are unique to the area were utilised throughout fabric, glazing film and acoustic panelling.

Sitting as the boardroom centrepiece is a custom-built boardroom table hand, crafted in the remote community of Millingimbi. Manufactured out of Darwin Stringybark and Mahogany timber, the table is infilled with manganese and black epoxy into a carving of Groote Eylandt.

Due to the complex requirements to have multiple private offices, kitchen spaces and work areas, as well as culturally unique elements within such a minimal space, the concept design was revised multiple times. The selected bespoke furniture, curved and timber elements and cultural artistic features created several constraints relating to time and budget, especially considering the international shipping delays and the lockdowns to Indigenous communities implemented midway through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, DLG SHAPE was able to facilitate the handover for the planned grand opening event, celebrating the inception of GHAC and showcasing the new culturally unique office space. More than 100 representatives attended, including government officials, council members, ALC executives, plus performers and guests from Groote Eylandt.

The DLG SHAPE team was proud to successfully deliver such an expressive workspace that incorporates significant cultural artistic features.

This project won the Master Builders NT 2022 Excellence in Building & Construction Award for Best Commercial & Retail Fit-out or Alteration over $1M