We recently checked out the newly opened Balam Balam Place, an incredible new cultural and community hub in the heart Melbourne’s Brunswick. The $30 million redevelopment led by Merri-bek City Council was envisioned not just as a venue, but as a living cultural framework — a place for connection, learning, and self-determination. Its layered spaces enable co-working, exhibitions, yarning circles, and workshops, supporting intergenerational exchange and creative expression.
Translating to ‘butterfly’ in the local Woi-wurrung language, the project was designed by Kennedy Nolan Architects and Openwork Landscape Architecture and features an incredible new five-level building housing creative studios, affordable, flexible spaces for artists, creatives and community groups as well as a café, the Blak Dot Gallery, Blakademy, and a maternal and child health centre.
In the public realm, a wonderfully adapted old school building provides much needed space for all-weather performance areas and community events with visual connection to the surrounding neighbourhood.
Importantly, the governance and operational model — led by These Are The Projects We Do Together — prioritises Aboriginal self-determination and long-term community benefit. Its a flagship example of place-based cultural infrastructure, Balam Balam Place is already shaping a new model for how councils can invest in inclusive, community-led cultural development.
Read more about the precinct here.