Bundarra: 24 Hours with Howatson+Co

A considered approach to place, material, and experience.

Macarthur Memorial Park sets a new benchmark for how memorial spaces are conceived and experienced in Australia. The project moves away from traditional remembrance typologies and instead presents a landscape-led environment that is calm, open, and carefully resolved.

The architecture responds directly to the site. The chapel roof, a defining element of the project, was originally conceived as a series of geometric transformations that create an undulating form reflecting the surrounding topography. This geometry was then refined to integrate north-facing skylights, allowing natural light to enter the chapel from above. The resulting soffit, formed through complex double curvature, creates a soft and continuous interior surface that shifts throughout the day as light conditions change.

This level of design intent extends across the entire project. Spaces are not treated as isolated rooms, but as part of a broader sequence that considers movement, pause, and reflection. Material selection is restrained and deliberate, allowing form, light, and proportion to define the experience.