Yerrabingin was involved in the Community engagement and collaborative design process to develop Designing with Country narratives for a mental health building within the new hospital.

We worked closely with Bates Smart, Hunter New England Local Health District, Turner & Townsend, NSW Health Infrastructure and local First Nations Community members to develop a Designing with Country approach that reflects the needs and wants of Wonnarua Country within the site.

Yerrabingin undertook contextual research of the site and its place within Wonnarua Country. This desktop analysis informed co-design activities with local First Nations Community members, asking how we might design a facility that allows Wonnarua Country to support and enrich the wellbeing of patients, staff, and visitors.

From this workshop, Yerrabnigin synthesised three Designing with Country narratives: Connected, Embraced, and Cared; Nurtured by the Cycles of Country; and Regenerative Ecologies of Healing. These narratives were explored by the project team to inform a design outcome that considers and regenerates Wonnarua Country.