Queensland sites
Roma Street Parklands , Brisbane, Queensland
Rediscovery of a lost place
Mark Fuller FAILA
originally published Landscape Australia 2-2002
The lake/ boardwalk Photo by: Michael Clarkson
Roma Street Parklands "...is a whole new part of the city opened up." Billed as one of the world's largest subtropical gardens, it is spread across 16 ha of Brisbane's downtown central business district, as part of the redevelopment of the city's railyards and existing parkland. The $72 million project, opened in 2001, was developed by Gillespies Australia and DEM Design, with Civitas of Canada and Landplan of Brisbane.
Urban Design Context and Principles
City context
The Roma Street precinct represents 16 ha of Brisbane's downtown Central Business District. For over 125 years, much of this site has been totally inaccessible to the public, but has always been an important location for the city's infrastructure needs. Prior to development of the site as produce markets, then railyards, Brisbane's first water supply was sourced from natural springs emanating from the Albert Park site, feeding a pond-The Horsepond-situated at the current Queensland Place development site.
Recently, Gillespies Australia and DEM Design, together with Civitas of Canada and Landplan of Brisbane, created a consortium known as 'PARC' (Parklands at Roma Collaborative). In June 1999, PARC were appointed to undertake the urban design, architectural and landscape architectural role of creating this new area of the city
`Rediscovery of a Lost Place' was an initial guiding principle of the team and is already reflected in the comments of early visitors to the site. New connections were required to link to the city, across the rail tracks to the suburbs and commercial areas at Petrie Terrace, and between the underground access to the rail station and the inner city suburb of Spring Hill. These physical connections are reinforced with visual links to city landmarks, particularly the City Hall clock tower, the surrounding hills of Mount Coot-tha, and St Brigids Church at Red Hill.
Community consultation
In developing the urban design principles for the site, extensive consultation was undertaken with government, council, community and interest groups and a range of solutions was explored. The outcome of these discussions led to a masterplan for the parkland areas and surrounds. This sought to create a range of spaces that could accommodate a wide spectrum of uses by the community within a safe and accessible environment.
In addition, the Government's fundamental precept was that the park should contain a high-quality visitor attraction based on a horticultural spectacular. After extensive research, a subtropical extravaganza of plants drawn from across the globe was selected as the horticultural theme.
Youth groups identified the desirability of the park as a break from the rigidity of the city grid and the ordered nature of the city fabric. This coincided with the design team's view of the need to develop a new vocabulary of design for the site, given the scale of the site, its fragmented industrial history and the desire to create an intriguing and unique character for the site. There was also the need to create an open space for the city, which would complement and enhance the roles of the existing city spaces, including South Bank Parklands, the City Botanical Gardens, and Queen Street Mall.
Elevated pedestrian bridge over the railyard and tunnels to Albert Street, by night
Entrance into parklands from city end of pedestrian bridge incorporates a sheltered seating area and sculptural artwork by Hew Chee Fong (Photos by: Michael Clarkson).
Masterplanning Strategies
The framework
The framework began with the development of an overall urban design strategy for the Roma Street precinct, which included the integration of the Queensland Place site and a strong and accessible linkage to the CBD and to the symbolic heart of Brisbane at King George Square.
The first stage provides a new attractive pedestrian bridge link over the rail tracks and rail tunnel portals to Albert Street. The framework also included a new vehicular and pedestrian bridge across the rail corridor west to Petrie Terrace. This will link the local community with the site and provide an important access from the site to the commercial and residential areas around Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace and importantly, to the Lang Park Stadium project.
Future links were identified to transport pedestrians vertically from the lower levels of the site, adjacent to the Roma Street railway station underground concourse, to Wickham Terrace and the Spring Hill suburban area and to provide elevated access from the core of the site into a redeveloped Victoria Barracks.
Masterplan for the Roma Street Parklands, prepared by PARC Consultants, 1999
click on image for larger - maybe click again for even larger
Site precincts
The scale of the space within the CBD is a key aspect to secure for the future. There is capacity for a range of concurrent activities and a variety of visitor experiences to ensure an intimate relationship between the visitor and the Park.
The design concept has been based on the parklands being considered as a series of
outdoor `rooms', each of differing character, yet interconnected in ways that maintain the overall scale of the site itself.
The `rooms' are loosely defined as:
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Celebration Lawn, an open place for entertainment, activity and events great and small, an informal amphitheatre surrounded by vantage points and shady retreats. This area provided a functional venue for Queen Elizabeth's visit to Brisbane during the recent CHOGM activities, accommodating approximately 30 000 people during `People's Day'
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Spectacle Garden, the horticultural focus, a contrasting design of smaller scale and intimate nature;
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Serenity Garden, a more majestic sweep of lawns and terraces focused on a new lake and surrounded by luxurious subtropical planting; and
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The existing Albert Park, rejuvenated and made accessible, as a mature backdrop and shaded retreat ideal for informal parkland activities.
Each of these rooms has a relationship with the Allee, which begins in the heart of the site (known as the Hub) and provides a connection with the Crescent Boulevard, a defining avenue encircling the parklands. It provides a grand address for future residential and commercial redevelopment (currently in planning stage) and vehicular connection to the surrounding road network at Roma Street and Wickham and Gregory Terraces.
The Allee also provides a changing viewpoint from which to experience the parkland. A number of other viewpoints have been created in the Park to enhance the visitor experience. Changing viewpoints and vistas within the site emphasise the scale of the area and provide an enjoyable range of experiences throughout the site.
Site detail
The `rediscovery of the lost place' prompted another aspect of the design, that of creating surprise and the enjoyment of personal discovery. This has led to a number of design responses:
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Definition of the spaces within the site with large `blade' walls creating a changing visual definition of spaces;
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Contrasting styles within an overall design idiom that provides a distorted contrast with
the traditional orthogonal pattern to the city;
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A landform that creates both a new enclosing framework for the site, tying in Albert Park
and the escarpment, and new intimate spaces within the site itself;
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Integration of the extensive public art program within the detail of landscape; and
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Enhancement of the contrasts within the site, from water bodies to dry areas, from differing vantage points and levels, from shade to sun, from open lawn areas to enclosed, humid rainforest experiences.
Unifying themes of the design relate to the palette of coloured concrete, accessible walkways and bridges, contrasting industrial materials, and assemblage within landscapes of great variety. These provide a transition of spaces from urban to a peaceful rainforest ravine, with just a hint of industrial influence.
Spectacle Garden, an outdoor room focused on luxurious subtropical planting.
Waterwall at nighta spectacular focus and division between functional spaces within the park.
View over Serenity Garden and pedestrian footbridge west to Milton and Petrie Terrace, highlighting the natural contrasts incorporated into this inner city site (Photos by: Michael Clarkson).
Design Context
Major urban renewal projects require unique circumstances to bring them to fruition. From the outset there must be political will to ensure funding and a target delivery date within the expected term of the government. Working in a part of the city that has both difficult topography and a problematic, ongoing railway use is a substantial challenge. The need to reconnect networks that have had over 100 years of alternative functions will not occur overnight. In the case of Roma Street, it is essential that the next level of linkages and development be delivered quickly, to capitalise on the renewal focus in a public and successfully functional way.
2007 footnote: In 2005 Gillespies Australia was merged into EDAW
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Project Details
Urban Design, Architecture & Landscape Architecture: Parklands at Roma Collaborative (PARC): DEM Design, Gillespies Australia, Landplan Landscape Architects, Civitas Urban Design and Planning
Design & Construction: Department of Public Works
Project Manager: Bovis Lend Lease
Managing Contractor: Abigroup Contractors
Associated Consultants: Structural, Civic & Hydraulics Engineers: Sinclair Knight Merz
Lighting Design: Barry Webb & Associates
Signage: Dot Dash
Artworks Coordination: Brecknock Consulting Engineers
Hydraulics & Water Features: Thompson Kane
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