The Visitor Centre in Karijini National Park in the remote Pilbara is set in one of Australia's most extraordinary landscapes. The building is made of an assembly of freestanding, overlapping, pre-weathered steel wall panels of the same deep red-black as the gorges.

The Visitor Centre is so well integrated into the landscape of this place that it is possible to miss it. This is not because it is a self-effacing building, it is because its form is so confident in engaging with the inherent strength of the landscape.

The goanna-shaped building houses an interpretative display which talks about the history of the Park and its inhabitants.

The design concept was to take a visitor out of the vastness of the landscape, to confine their thoughts, and then tell them about the place. The Aboriginal story is a major part of the display.

The project recently received two prizes in the Royal Australian Institute of Architects national awards for 2001. The judges gave it the BHP Colorbond Award for the innovative use of steel and a commendation in the public buildings section.