Victorian Projects and Sites
Geelong Youth Activities Area
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Landscape Architect: Convic Design P/L
Project Location: Geelong Waterfront, Victoria
Client: City of Greater Geelong
Budget: $1.4 million
The Geelong Youth Activities Area (GYAA) is a public multipurpose youth focused intergenerational recreation plaza opposite Deakin University on the main waterfront in the heart of Geelong’s CBD.
The Geelong YAA is an integrated youth inclusive, public recreation space. In Australia and internationally the GYAA has set the new world benchmark for providing accessible, public and diverse sporting, recreational and social opportunities for young people in the heart of a city’s CBD.
This progressive approach to social sustainability recognizes the importance of providing for young people in areas other than structured sport and education. The GYAA is a great example of creating a central, accessible public plaza which provides a range of both active, passive and social pursuits for all ages and which can be activated and adaptable over time to meet evolving interests and needs of young people.
The GYAA is set up to cater for a multitude of events, art and performance opportunities including concerts, markets, school drama, circus oz & exhibition of local artists. To accommodate this, the GYAA plaza has been designed as a large cascading terrace that reinterprets traditional ideas of amphitheaters and performance. In addition to a central performance stage there are a myriad of smaller spaces encouraging social groups and classes to consider how they use the space; finding exciting, intimate and dramatic spaces as they need.
At night, the space comes alive with bright white theatre lights and gobo art projections. Vibrant red LED strip lights which capture & reinforce the intensity and energy of this sculptural terraced space.
The whole agenda behind the planning and configuration of the GYAA and essentially Convic Designs approach to any public space is to reach a far broader range of users. GYAA encourages participation by all age groups including young people who traditionally shy away from active sport and performance. We are acutely aware of the needs of young females. Through the planning of the GYAA and by including so many moments for socializing, grassed and seating areas central to the space, we provide an entry point to access and participate in skateboarding and other unstructured active sports. This ensures a much more sustainable inclusive teenage focused future.
Convic Designs commitment to social sustainability is evidenced in the GYAA. The GYAA is fundamentally about inclusivity and creative approaches to building resilience in our communities. Unlike so many skate parks which really only cater for traditional sports in isolation, this urban space is for everyone. It’s a space designed for all young people; for young women, for musicians, for artists! A stage and events space provides opportunities for performance, dance and exhibition. Art frames and media projectors create a conduit for displaying art with a youth focus.
This project represents a substantial shift from traditional planning approaches which typically isolate out recreation facilities for the various disparate groups within the community. The GYAA demonstrates Convic Designs approach to forging intergenerational social networks, where young people engage with adults and older people within their community, providing opportunities outside the home, vocational experience may be acquired, educational horizons may be widened and appropriate levels of independence may be fostered. [Kids live in adult spaces and time: how home, community, school and adult work affected opportunity for teenagers in suburban Australia 2008/9 Williams, Pocock & Bridge]
By truly understanding young people, and genuinely providing for their needs; providing socially rich experiences in public space and respecting their point of view, using our skills as designers we can secure prominent sites in the heart of the city, we are ensuring access to social, vocational and educational opportunity for young people and ultimately investing in our future.
Through the GYAA and other unstructured social, play and sports opportunities in public space Convic Design have demonstrated a revitalized approach by providing not just for interest groups in isolation but encouraging participation and building intergenerational social networks across the whole community.
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
2010
