Landscape Architects: Tract Consulting
Landscape Architects, Tract won a 1981 competition to re-design almost two kilometres of the Newcastle-Hunter River foreshore. Their design for the derelict industrialised landscape aimed to reconnect the town to the waterfront. Industrial icons were incorporated into the new landscape such as retaining the existing street lay-out and a new steel bridge. This spans the main road linking the town to the park.
The accompanying Report demonstrated Tract’s appreciation of the site’s history. Historic industrial structures were preserved within the design and new cultural buildings constructed.
The design gave back the land to Newcastle’s inhabitants. Its success is evidenced by
The area immediately became popular. Fishing jetties, observation decks, outdoor cafes, restaurants and animated promenades lined with Norfolk Island pine trees entirely changed the spirit and culture of Newcastle, with the progressive consequences of renewed confidence and urban vitality, the city’s fortunes have reversed. (Tract 2002, p95)
The project was also significant in that a group of Landscape Architects won an urban design competition which previously had been the domain of the architectural profession. The well known American Landscape Architect, Lawrence Halprin was one of the jurors.
In 1999, a survey of practising Landscape Architects rated this project as being significant to the profession in Australia.
Edwina Richardson AAILA
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REFERENCES
Bull, Catherin (2002) New conversations with an old landscape Images Publishing Group: Victoria.
Bull, C & Ward, L (2000) ‘In what way influential? The projects, people & events that Landscape Architects consider significant in Australia’ Landscape Australia 2/2000
Beck, Haig & Cooper, Jackie (2004) Tract Landscape Architects and Planners Images Publishing Group: Victoria.
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