This building features the distinguished face of William Barak, the last traditional ngurungaeta (Elder) of the Wurundjeri-willam clan. From our apartment tower, his portrait looks down along Melbourne’s Swanston Street axis.
The Barak Building is located on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation.
Barak (c. 1824–1903) was an artist, a leading advocate for Aboriginal social justice, and a respected authority on Wurundjeri cultural lore. At the age of 11, he witnessed John Batman meeting with the tribal Elders to negotiate the purchase of Melbourne—a transaction that is not recognised today as a legitimate purchase or treaty.
Throughout the design process, we worked closely with Barak’s family and the broader Wurundjeri community to ensure the façade would stand as a lasting recognition of the history and ongoing presence of Aboriginal nations on the land where Melbourne now stands.
The image on the façade is derived from a photograph of a sculpture of Barak by contemporary artist Peter Schipperheyn. To create the final design, we first reduced the photograph to a binary black-and-white image.
Adobe Photoshop turned the image into horizontal bands of black and white varying in vertical thickness. Next, we converted the bands into vector-based line work to import into 2D and 3D CAD files to determine the measurements for fabrication.
The image is realised with white panels bolted onto black balcony slabs. The panels (up to 6m long and 2m high) are an innovative engineered surfboard-like composite 140mm thick: PET foam core with E-plate (fibre mesh) and vinyl-ester external wrapping. They stand out against the black building.
The face curves from the southern to the eastern façade, appearing clearest when viewed directly from the corner aligned with Swanston Street.
The tower’s ideal vantage point is the Shrine of Remembrance, which anchors the southern end of the Swanston Street axis. From the Shrine, 2.8 km away, the face is distinctly visible. As you move closer, the image gradually fades, revealing the dynamic effect of the curved, sculpted balconies.
All residents can enjoy panoramic city views from the communal Skydeck on the 31st floor. Instead of exclusive penthouses, we’ve created a shared space for entertaining guests and fostering connections between neighbours.
The Skydeck features expansive kitchen and dining facilities, spas, barbecues, and an entertainment area with a 20-seat theatre. Designed to encourage social interaction, it provides a welcoming environment for sole residents and new Melburnians to connect with others.
The northern and western façades reinterpret a topographic map, with a visual effect that also resembles a heat map. These colours are carried through to the lobbies and the eight distinct interior colour palettes for the apartments.
The map extends to the podium car park at the tower’s south-western corner, where the façade features a grid of portholes—creating the effect of circles being architecturally subtracted. Some of these openings are filled with fibreglass discs that spell out “Wurundjeri I am who I am” in Braille.
From Mongrel Rapture: the Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall
“Something like this has been a long time waiting, and I think it’s wonderful. My great grandfather would be so proud.”
—Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin, Wurundjeri Elder and Great Granddaughter Of William Barak
“We think a building of this scale and civic significance owes the public a visual and cultural contribution as well as providing thoughtfully for its residents”
—ARM Architecture Director Howard Raggatt