In between Erindale College and the heritage-listed skate park at Wanniassa is a curved ochre building which seems to blend into the natural landscape.
The building is the new Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation, built to replace the ageing one-storey building on the site where the group has been since 2001.
Artwork is displayed on almost every wall inside Gugan Gulwan, but is also integrated into the walls, windows and railings. The atrium is dominated by a Bogong moth sculpture which hangs over open meeting and eating spaces.
"It creates a cultural sensitivity and cultural space for people to come that do identify as Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people," operations manager and Wiradjuri and Dharug woman Cyndy Newman said.
Much of the artwork was designed by Gugan Gulwan's co-founder Aunty Kim Davison, Uncle Dale Huddleston and Aunty Betty Callow, Ms Newman said, in collaboration with architects from COX Architecture and CK Architecture.
"They were a massive contribution in how the building was going to be presented in the end and how it was going to be created," Ms Newman said.
"We knew exactly where we had to work on to to make sure that we met the needs of the community as well as the team that works here."
Established in 1976, Gugan Gulwan runs dozens of programs for young local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. By 2020, the old building - originally the Erindale Youth Centre - was ready for an update.
The people who came in were "absolutely amazed" by the transformation, which includes a dedicated art space and music and recording studios, Ms Newman said.
"Everybody that comes in, even if they're repeat visitors, they still find something new to look at," she said.
"It's an open space for them to come and enjoy. We're looking forward to holding a lot more events here as well, now that we've got the space."
The design for the building was created through a year-long consultation process between the Gugan Gulwan community and the architects COX Architecture director Ronan Moss said.
"We went through a process of listening. Having been there for a long time already, they had some strong ideas about what they thought would work, and we began this lovely rich journey with them where we worked through all the parts of the building," Mr Moss said.
"It's very open, it's very porous - it's representative of the way in which they wanted their community to be perceived," he said.
"Part of our process was just doing a lot of listening, basically, and then trying to interpret the ideas into built form. It's a very collaborative process, and we ended up with something that's quite beautiful."
The building won six awards at last month's Architecture Awards, including the territory's top prize for architecture, the Canberra Medallion.
It was up against landmark buildings including the CIT Technology building and War Memorial extension.
"What distinguishes Gugan Gulwan above all else is the complete integrity between process and outcome," the jury said.
"Genuine co-design with community elders, the Nannas, and Gugan Gulwan staff has produced an architecture that is not merely responsive but deeply authored - by and for the people it serves."
The building also won the W Hayward Morris Award for Interior Architecture, the Award for Public Architecture, the Connection to Country Narrative Prize, the Pamille Berg Prize for Art in Architecture and the People's Choice Award.
