Join us for a special talk with BVN, held at Yarrila Place in Coffs Harbour. 

A place of optimism, welcome and a major investment by a flourishing community into its future, Yarrila is named for the Gumbaynggirr word meaning ‘place of light’. 

Located where the mountains meet the sea, Yarrila Place is a vibrant cultural and civic hub shaped through community engagement and understanding of place, bringing together previously dispersed Council facilities. BVN’s approach to the project is one of welcome (its working title through design was ‘All Welcome’) and of safe harbour – an interpretation of the physical harbour that the town was built around, a refuge from storm and sea and a place of fecund opportunity, surrounded by beach, mountain and rainforest. Library, Museum, Council Services surround the three-level atrium, which is connected by ‘The Track’, which was developed with the local indigenous community. The atrium is enlivened by the public use and Emma Coulter’s major artwork, let them feel the light.

Held within Yarrila Place itself, the host venue for the 2026 NSW Regional Architecture Awards, the talk offers an opportunity to experience the building while hearing the story behind its design, celebrating optimism, cultural connection and a community’s investment in the future.

This talk is one in a series of architectural events held in conjunction with the 2026 NSW Regional Architecture Awards in Coffs Harbour. For more information on the Awards evening, click here. 

Image credit: Tom Roe