The Kauwi Interpretive Centre educates and inspires visitors through the interpretation of narratives about water use and the desalination process. The building describes an ancient landscape meeting 21st century technology.
The name ‘Kauwi’ can be translated as ‘water’, and comes from the local Kaurna Aboriginal language.
The built form is designed to allow people to find their own way through the interpretive elements. It aims to provide a journey that is open to exploration. This exploration allows people to discover and learn at their own pace and piece together the interpretive elements and experience of the building and landscape in their own way. The architectural design reinforces this approach by providing multiple pathways through and around the interpretive displays and earth walls.
At the same time, the user has an ‘unfolding’ spatial experience - views are gradually revealed as one moves through the space, ending with dramatic views out over the coast and to the desalination plant.
A reflective ceiling to the main roof gives enticing reflections of what is to come, as well as reflecting an abstract ‘water’ mural on the floor. An outdoor water feature is
strategically placed to the north of the building to reflect the sun back into the space - casting rippled, moving light around. The sense of the space is akin to being in an underwater landscape.
It was important to design a space specific to the topic of ‘water’ – the architecture conveys something of the interpretive subject in the way the space feels and is experienced. A memorable experience of the place will help people retain the important messages being conveyed.
An interpretive centre needs to have strong connections to its context. An important driver for the design was to create a built form that relates directly to the dramatic landscapes surrounding it. This building reinforces the connection back to the natural elements and the local context through its use of rammed earth walls - by making reference to the unique layered strata in nearby cliffs. The form suggests that the building has been excavated directly from the earth. Innovative techniques around the layering of colouring of the different bands of rammed earth were researched and thoroughly tested on site with sample walls.
The strong natural references are offset and punctuated by the use of reflective metals – relating to the high tech processes of desalination.
The design process was highly collaborative, involving interpretive specialists, graphic designers, educators, landscape architects and the clients. A vital thread through the process has been the ongoing consultation with local Kaurna Aboriginal groups and artists. The Aboriginal content is vital in terms of educating people about another perspective to the importance of water, and how they have managed and used it over time.
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