Hasta La Ideas

Rooms clad in wood and arranged like palm fronds form the heart of Yutjuwala Djwarr Aged Care, designed by Redfern studio Kaunitz Yeung Architecture for the Yolŋu community in the Northern Territory, Australia.

The elderly care facility is located in Nhulunbuy in North East Arnhem Land, over 1,000 kilometres from the nearest city of Darwin – a region so remote it is cut off by road for six months of the year by wet season flooding.

Named Yutjuwala Djwarr or Little Heaven, the centre is the result of a 20-year campaign by the Aboriginal Australian Yolŋu community to stop its elders having to travel to Darwin for care, and inevitably pass away far from home.

Kaunitz Yeung Architecture co-designed the centre in a three-year process working with its prospective residents – elders and families of the Yolŋu community, which number around 12,000 people in North East Arnhem Land.

According to Kaunitz Yeung Architecture, it aims to set a new standard for culturally appropriate residential aged care.

“The inspiration came from direct engagement with the Yolŋu community, learning from their ways of living, and ensuring the architecture supported cultural continuity rather than imposing an external model of aged care,” said practice director David Kaunitz.

When Yolŋu elders pass away not on Country – the term used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected – it is seen as disrespectful and has serious ramifications for spiritual and cultural continuity.

“The most successful part of Yutjuwala Djiwarr Aged Care is its ability to provide culturally safe aged care on Country, allowing elders to age in a familiar and supportive environment surrounded by family,” explained Kaunitz.

Built on disused hockey courts bordered by old Banyan trees on the edge of Nhulunbuy town, the centre includes 32 beds, with one palliative care bed and a four-chair dialysis unit.

The rooms are arranged in a layout mirroring palm fronds, separated by gardens and deep verandas enabling cross-ventilation and space for outdoor sleeping, natural light, multiple outdoor spaces and direct access to indoor communal spaces without corridors.

These bedroom arrangements also enable different cultural groupings and adaptation over time, providing appropriate separation where required by cultural protocols.

The centre’s many rooms are pulled together by a soaring external canopy that captures the sea breeze, naturally ventilates and provides shelter from the hot and humid climate.

In an effort to de-institutionalise the centre, there are no corridors in resident areas and all beds have three views to the outside. Landscaping was an integral part of the project and most of the plants were propagated by Yolŋu in the local community nursery.

Yutjuwala Djwarr Aged Care’s buildings are clad in a mixture of robust stringybark battens milled locally by the Gumatj Corporation mill, which is Aboriginal Australian-owned and operated. The timber was salvaged from the local mine site in the process of clearing.

“Materials were chosen based on durability, cultural appropriateness, and environmental performance, with the timber and natural finishes creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, aligning with Yolŋu aesthetics,” said Kaunitz.

When Yutjuwala Djwarr Aged Care opened, elders located in places such as Darwin were prioritised to bring them home. These represented some of the frailest potential residents, enabling them to reconnect with family, community and their land.

According to the studio, the centre represents a new approach to residential care that “walks in two worlds”. The facility achieved the high levels of accreditation and compliance required by the Australian government, while also ensuring it was a place where elders and the community feel comfortable and at home.

“The integration of Yolŋu knowledge, traditions, and relationships into the design ensures the facility is not just a building but a place of deep cultural continuity and community strength,” concluded Kaunitz.

Based in Sydney, Kaunitz Yeung Architecture was founded by the husband and wife team of David Kaunitz and Ka Wai Yeung. The practice has built projects in 30 Aboriginal communities such as the Rammed Earth Health Hub, completed in 2018 in the Western Australian desert.

Other designs for the eldery recently feature on Dezeen include a concrete care home in Chile by Max Núñez Arquitectos and a home for an ageing couple in Spain by Ignacio G Galán and OF Architects.

The photography is by Brett Boardman.

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