New South Wales Projects & Sites
Darlington Public Domain – Stage 2 – University of Sydney
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
Landscape Architect: Taylor Cullity Lethlean
Location: Maze Green , Darlington Campus, University of Sydney, Darlington
Overview
The primary aim of the competition project brief was to provide equal and equitable access for all pedestrians to travel to and from the Shepherd Street entrance to the new USYD Central Building.
In addition to this requirement our landscape scheme looked to improve the environment of the Darlington campus both environmentally and socially. Water harvesting of the local stormwater catchments to create wetlands that treat and store water for reuse such as irrigation supply to gardens and lawn. Creating exciting new public spaces within the campus, development of a new taxonomy garden as an educational resource and new horticultural testing lots for research.
The development of a forecourt to the BioChemistry building as a gathering space for events and rallies facing onto the large open lawn of the new Maze Green. A feature of the project is our custom designed recliner chair under the rows of gum trees that edge the open lawn of Maze Green.
SPECIAL FACTORS:
- Generating a water supply with a storage capacity of 250,000 litres (150k tank in stage two linked to 100k tank in stage one) as an asset for the University from treated urban run off.
- Improved environmental outcomes for the local area as a result of water polishing.
- Transforming the character of Darlington Campus where once all the buildings faced out to the main roads, they are now being redeveloped to face in on an open park like space within the campus.
- Creating a park space that is valued by students, staff and local residents.
- Developing gardens that have a dual function – they frame the open space and old school building but they are also a taxonomic teaching tool for the School of Botany and a research facility for the School of Horticultural.
- Integrating CPTED principals into designed outcome to transform a campus that was dangerous at night to a safer place through an artistic lighting strategy and creating clear sight lines and pedestrian routes, as well as eliminating dangerous spaces.
- Achieving a site wide visually cohesive outcome for paths without handrails to cater for equal and equitable access on a site that has major level issues.
- Integrating art work into a project that did not have an art budget by implementing an art strategy into the functional elements such as paths, planting and lighting.
- A creative approach to grading that encapsulated the requirements for equal access, diversion of existing drainage systems to the wetlands and simultaneously working with site wide soil contamination issues.
BUDGET:
$10.5 million
DESCRIPTION:
Innovative design or demonstration of new direction in profession.
The designers successfully collaborated with Paul Carter to establish an art strategy and design philosophy that is based on both the European and Indigenous cultural histories of the site. This set up a framework for artwork to be meaningfully integrated into the fabric of the design. The Golden Grove strategy has been successful in the infusion of varies elements into a project where no art budget was allocated.
Clarity and legibility of expression of design concept.
The resulting design is a simple, clean, uncluttered landscape with a highly effective water treatment, harvesting and reuse system. The sandblasted patterning on the paths and the layout of the gardens is an expression of the art strategy that is clear across the site. The wetlands are well integrated into the landscape and frame the historic Old School building (Music School currently) setting a stage to the grass bowl of Maze Green.
Appropriateness to function.
This new landscape space is successful in achieving; passive open space for students and the local community, a place of repose and contemplation for students, gardens that are used for teaching botany, horticultural trial garden beds for research, wetlands that frame the historic school building and at the same time treat the broader sites urban stormwater for storage and reuse.
Response to brief.
The project achieved the requirement to improve safety on campus, better way finding and create equal and equitable access across the site.
In addition to this the project has become a show case for WSUD, and a much lover park space with in the campus by students, staff and locals on the weekend.
Sensitivity to social, cultural, historical, physical and natural context.
During the design process the team under took extensive consultation with all schools on campus, every building group that edged onto the site, the student union, the campus grounds staff, the neighbouring community groups including representatives of the indigenous people, the local child care centre, the police, the site security teams and the university board of representatives. Through this extensive community and stakeholder liaison process the project has taken on and addressed a broad range of social needs.
The design of the project was informed by both the indigenous and European histories of the site. The understanding that this site was once known as Kangaroo or Fertile Ground by the indigenous people, and later named Golden Grove has many connotations that are further discuss in the attached document “Golden Grove”
The detailing of the project had to be sensitive to the site topography in order to tap into the existing and surrounding levels and drainage systems to create the wetlands, as well as preserve the large trees on site.
The centre of the park space is the historic old school of Darlington, a strong reminder of this sites past history as an inner city suburb of Sydney .
Quality of implementation of built work.
The built result demonstrates high quality and complex precast concrete work to achieve the compound curves of the seat wall, well constructed and crafted sandstone masonry work around the wetlands, a landscape contractor who has showed great care in the planting works which hides the complex civil aspects undertaken to deal with connecting and diverting existing site storm water systems, removing and re-profiling areas of highly contaminated soil and achieving new subgrades from local materials that meet the diverse needs of pavements, trees lawn and gardens.
Environmental responsibility and sustainability:
Employs or promotes sustainable policies or practices.
The main environmental feature is the WSUD. The project harvests stormwater run off from the broader campus and redirects this to a wetland at the Old School building where water becomes a feature within the site but is also treated and then store in a 150,000 litre underground tank. This tank is linked to similar size tank in stage one works, so that across the campus water can be reused for irrigation of new and existing landscapes. There is also provision for new buildings to use this water for toilet flushing in the future.
Overflow water treated from this system flows into Black Wattle Bay, so there is a broader environmental effect created by this project.
During construction local materials where used where ever possible to reduce the carbon foot print of the construction process. This included reuse of salvaged university sandstone from the site to create masonary walls, local precast and concrete works, local subgrade material to address contaminated areas and rebuild natural subgrade conditions etc…
Promotes biodiversity and supports local ecosystems.
The gardens that surround the open space of Maze green and link to the stage one works form a taxonomy garden of plants that are local to the Sydney area. This was designed to create a teaching tool for the Botany school, to create a garden with low water depends and to support the local urban ecology of inner city Sydney.
Addresses the separate Landscape Principles :
Value the existing landscape: This project preserves the physical features of the site; the large remnant trees such as the giant London Plane and the Blue Gums in Maze Green. The design is focused around the old School Building of Darlington as a focal point. The project also values the culture of the existing landscape , the culture of the university and its communities needs.
Protect, enhance , regenerate: As outlined above the project has set out to preserve key historic elements of the site such as trees and the old school building. But to further that elements such as the old school drinking trough have been refurbished and made functional for the current students to use, the old school gates, memorial pillars to soldiers lost and stone edge walls have all been retained and refurbished and carefully integrated into the new landscape of Maze Green.
Intervene with respect for the future: In the development of this project many links where made with communities within the university to ensure that the project had broad ownership and value to its future and ongoing occupants. The gardens being developed for the School of Botany as a tool for teaching taxonomy as well as being a nice backdrop to the open space.
The performance space defined by the wetlands and the old School building created for the Music School with three phase power and an on looking grass amphitheatre for the audience.
The wetland system with underground tank is something that future proofs this landscape’s irrigation requirements.
Embrace responsive design: This project has shown innovation by being successful at integrating the needs of a diverse user group, building in progressive ideas on WSUD and future proofing the campus irrigation needs, undertaking CPTED studies and implementing the findings, working in a collaborative manner with theoreticians such as Paul Carter and seeing those ideas become built realities.
Relevance to the profession of landscape architecture, the public and education of future practitioners:
This project is a good model for the development of the profession in that it achieves outstanding environmental goals in a design solution that is contemporary and unique that are responsive to the site physical, historical, cultural and social context.
This is a good example of where landscape architects have lead a team of engineers to deliver a bold urban design solution consisting of many engineering issues without being diluted by potentially over engineered outcomes.
This project has been successful in carrying the theoretical ideas of the competition stage through; long consultation process with the campus faculties, the vast physical requirements that the design had to accommodate, the multiple value engineering and cost cutting reviews, to deliver an strong design outcome that is still directly informed by the competition intent.
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
2010
