This framework outlines a structured, culturally grounded, and community-led approach to activating public space at Balam Balam Place. It aligns with the site’s identity as a community-led cultural hub and supports ongoing engagement, visibility, and access for diverse communities.

The framework prioritises:

• First Nations leadership and cultural integrity

• Community participation and accessibility

• Sustainable and repeatable programming

• Strong partnerships across creative, civic, and local sectors

Balam Balam Place is operating as a multi-use civic, cultural, community and creative precinct with a demonstrably diverse user base. Its diversity is not limited to general public attendance; it is embedded through the building’s design, tenant mix, programming model, public cultural infrastructure, affordability settings and the range of users accessing the precinct for creative, community, service, health, learning and social purposes.

Balam Balam Place is demonstrating diverse use across Merri-bek’s priority groups and broader community cohorts, with particular strengths in First Nations cultural leadership, LGBTIQ+ inclusion, multicultural programming, family and youth participation, accessible infrastructure, affordable creative space and everyday civic use.

A year in and Balam Balam Place is already engaging all of these priority areas through a combination of tenants and programs, as well as accessible infrastructure and public-facing community activity. 

Regular users of Balam Balam Place for programs include the following organisations: healthAbility, Anecdote Clinical Support, Ripple Allied Health, Switchboard Support Services, Trans-creator Writing Workshop for Trans, Gender Diverse and Non-Binary folk

Balam Balam Place works consistently and closely with Blak Dot Gallery and Blakademy and has maintained a strong and collegiate working relationship through supporting the events and workshops that are hosted as part of their programs.

GARUWA and Commonground are both supported through our Contra Exchange Program.

Cultural diversity is expressed through a huge number of community groups who regularly use Balam Balam Pace: Pasifika Storytellers Collective, Spanish Academy Melbourne, Italian Chit Chats, Aprieta Collective, Brunswick Women’s Choir, MAMAS Make & Move, 

Core examples of our generational diversity: Every weekday, our regular community groups include UNDERARTS, House of Muchness (workshops for young people) and U3A Merri bek (Education for folks above 55), meaning that people of all ages are here and finding a regular and familiar home for their scheduled programs.

Worth highlighting in more detail: Balam Balam Place has directly supported two events that were organised by people living with disability, and these events were organised by and directly supporting these groups. Both these events were initiated by the individual organisers, and Balam Balam Place worked closely with the organisers to ensure a successful delivery of each event, which included support with additional staff and promotion.

In summary, Balam Balam Place has a strong and credible basis for being reported to Council as a diverse community centre and creative hub. Its diverse user base is evidenced through named tenants, public programs, First Nations cultural infrastructure, accessible design, low-cost and affordable spaces, family and youth programming, LGBTIQ+ inclusion, multicultural programming and a broad creative-sector user base.

Its strongest point of difference is the layering of users and functions. People do not come to Balam Balam Place for only one reason. They come to make art, attend health services, participate in cultural programs, rehearse, learn, meet, work, gather, perform, visit the gallery, use the café, sit outside, attend a class, join a workshop or connect with the community. This layered model is what makes the precinct diverse in practice, not just in aspiration.

Over the past year, Balam Balam Place has grown into a lively public platform for culture, community and creative participation. The program has brought together First Nations and Global Indigenous leadership, intercultural food and storytelling, music, public-facing moving image, writing, film-making, youth skills, architecture forums, lifelong learning and peer support.

As a way of framing Public Space Highlights we are focusing on three key areas of the Precinct that have been informed and, in turn transformed by specific public space programs.

The Carpark to the West of the South Building has hosted a number of public events that have been hugely successful. Both New Flower Sound and General Feelings Sound System both successfully utilised this area as a venue for live music. Both these events were celebrating a DIY sound system culture which was both inclusive of all ages, and backgrounds. 

In February 2026, the same carpark was used by Playte for a month-long public installation and free program focusing on food preservation from diverse cultures and cuisines. This program included public dinners, talks, workshops.

The Steps has hosted a range of activities including a number of Markets, most notably of these markets, Primavera was organised by Balkdot Gallery.

As part of MDW 2026 programming, Monash University hosted a public exhibition on The Steps titled Ritualising Leisure. This exhibition involved students of architecture along with Nongkonrg organisers for an evening event. 

On Sunday 24th May Exile on Bruce Street brought together over 50 participants to form a band that performed four pop songs to a live audience on Phoenix Street. Exile on Bruce Street is the work of Ian Pidd and was a completely offline event, drawing participants in from flyers and word of mouth. It was a wonderful celebration and performance and drew big crowds and really demonstrated the capacity and joy of community led performance and art, and importantly demonstrated and tested the capacity of The Steps as an important programmable space.

Blak Dot Gallery and Blakademy have been central to the precinct’s public identity, presenting exhibitions, storytelling workshops, food gatherings and courtyard activations that connected Balam Balam Place to First Nations, Global Indigenous and POC communities. Programs such as Pasifika Storytellers Collective Workshops, Kulture Kitchen and Blak Dot’s Around the Block screenings created accessible, community-led opportunities for people to gather, learn and participate.

Alongside larger public events, the precinct supported everyday creative and civic use. Writing sessions, film-making labs, U3A learning, architecture forums, teen DJ workshops, peer support and wellbeing programs show Balam Balam Place operating as social infrastructure: a place where people can make, learn, organise, connect and return.

On a smaller scale, Shy People’s Drawing Collective meets on the lawn every Saturday morning. This is a really interesting use case because it began without any formal booking, and has consistently grown each week for the past six months. Shy People’s Drawing Collective is an open and welcoming group who meet on the grass each week and draw together. With no formal booking or structure, this is a fascinating use of the public spaces of Balam Balam Place that we believe speaks to the welcoming atmosphere and culture of the Precinct.

Responses to "Tenant Feedback"
Question: "How would you rate your overall experience at Balam Balam Place within the last 12 months?"

Responses to "Feedback"
Question: "How would you rate your visit to Balam Balam Place?"

1. Introduction

Project overview

The Brunswick Creative and Community Centre (the Centre) is a new kind of community centre supported by a dedicated in-house team providing accessible, affordable and flexible space for creative and community use. 

A new state-of-the-art cultural, creative and community hub, with welcoming and affordable spaces for creatives, artists and the local community to enjoy. 

Balam Balam Place encompasses the historic Sherwood House and a brand new five-story contemporary community building, with creative and commercial spaces, community and event spaces, as well as Maternal Child Health and the return of Blak Dot Gallery.

Situated in the heart of Brunswick with a ground floor cafe, garden and gallery, Balam Balam Place provides much needed public outdoor space with activities, festivals and events as well as community days planned as part of its yearly program.

In line with Merri-bek City Council’s Strategic Framework and addressing contemporary and future community and creative needs, Merri-bek City Council has invested nearly $30 million dollars in building this project and has engaged The Projects as Precinct Managers to develop, deliver and manage a program of diverse creative and community uses.

Balam Balam Place provides a space for community groups to meet and gather for workshops, talks and celebrations, for creative and arts practices to develop new work in an affordable and flexible setting, for students and educators to utilise contemporary facilities outside of the institutional campus and for professional practices to find a new office within a vibrant and active centre.

There have been a significant amount of publications and presentations and forums that address this topic of Balam Balam Place as a place of cultural production.

Most recently as part of Melbourne Design Week 2026 the work of These Are The Projects We Do Together with a particular focus on Balam Balam Place was foregrounded - both through a public presentation at Process, and through a chapter in a book titled Repair Stories, edited by Helene Frichot. In addition to this, in October 2025, the Practice was invited to give a keynote lecture at Monash University with a focus on Balam Balam Place.

These examples position Balam Balam Place within a context of creative practice, and the team who operate Balam Balam Place as being well known for supporting and enabling creative and cultural production.

Balam Balam Place is operating well below the predicted modelling for energy and water consumption. 

Finding Infinity's reporting on data from the BMS system measures energy consumption at 36 kWh/m2 which is well below the NABERS 6 Star office building benchmark of 62 kWh/m2.

BMS data shows water consumption at improbably low numbers. Finding Infinity have recommended that the water meters are investigated to ensure they are accurate.

Waste generation, based on bin volumes and collection frequency, has been estimated to be roughly one third of the modelled waste generation.

HVAC usage has been minimal, with the HVAC system being off approximately 84% of the time during occupied hours. This indicates that users do not feel the need to utilise the system as the building remains at a comfortable temperature most of the time.

1. Introduction

How do we care for a place without getting in the way?

Balam Balam Place is a purpose-built cultural, creative and community precinct in the heart of Brunswick. Integrating the historic Sherwood House with a contemporary five-storey facility, the precinct provides accessible, affordable and flexible spaces for creative practice and design, community groups, services and the broader public.

Key features include creative development spaces, conference facilities, community and event spaces, Maternal Child Health services, the return of Blak Dot Gallery, and public-facing amenities such as Home Economics café and landscaped outdoor areas. Together, these elements position Balam Balam Place as both a destination and an everyday community asset.

Delivered through a major investment by Merri-bek City Council and managed by These Are The Projects We Do Together, the precinct responds to the growing need for culturally relevant, community-led infrastructure that supports creative practice, social connection and local participation.

Opening to the public in March of 2025, Balam Balam Place has seen a healthy growth in use and started 2026 with a strong foundation and key lessons from the first year of operation. It is with these insights and experience that we have developed this Strategic Plan

Balam Balam Place Strategic Plan 2026–2030 provides a clear and disciplined framework to guide the precinct’s development over the next five years. It aligns programming, partnerships, operations and investment with a shared vision for a highly activated, culturally grounded and sustainable place. 

Balam Balam Place aims to provide 10 hours of free Room use to MCC staff for meetings and training. The core driver for this use is designed to be internal meetings and planning sessions for MCC staff.