New South Wales Projects & Sites
Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Paddington, Sydney
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
Landscape Architect: James Mather Delaney Design Pty Ltd,
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and City of Sydney
Location: Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney (east of the corner with Oatley Road)
Introduction
Paddington Reservoir Gardens is located on Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney. The Reservoir forms part of the Paddington civic precinct bordered by the Paddington Town Hall and John Thompson Reserve to the west, the Post Office and historic Juniper Hall to the north. The site has a rich and diverse past. Since the decommissioning of the Reservoir in 1899, part of Sydney’s early water supply infrastructure, the grassed roof Reservoir provided a workshop from 1914 and green public park until the roof collapsed in 1990 closing public access. Paddington Reservoir Gardens conserves the State significant former reservoir and opens it to the public for the first time in over 140 years.
When JMD Design and TZG were commissioned, the Reservoir was in a state of collapse. A decision was made early in the project to try to retain a sense of the ruin whilst ensuring it was safe for the public to enjoy. The entire original structure was propped and then the garden removed from the top of the roof. A new concrete roof was poured over the existing brick vaults complete with drainage. The earth was then replaced to ensure the arches were loaded as intended and the top layer landscaped with elements that reflect the forms of the reservoir below. JMD Design and TZG Architects arrived at the solution for Paddington Reservoir Gardens collaboratively, with the landscape architects and architects having equal conceptual weight during the project.
Paddington Reservoir Gardens provides much needed open space in the heart of Paddington’s urban landscape. A sunken garden and pond, surrounded by a raised precast concrete boardwalk, has been inserted within the conserved ruin of the western chamber of the former reservoir. The edges of the ruin are contained by concrete upstands. The eastern chamber has been conserved and a new waterproof concrete structure inserted over it complete with landscaping to create an accessible public park and a new multipurpose space for community and cultural activities. The history of the site is interpreted along the Oxford Street wall.
The landscape elements are sympathetic to the heritage fabric of the structure whilst also providing interpretive cues to the reservoir and its form, function and materiality. For example, salvaged brick and cast iron inlays and masonry seating elements within the lawn area evoke the vaulted arches and beams below. The hardscape material palette is a simple reflection of the existing and remnant structure’s masonry, timber, and iron construction. The existing reservoir has a palette of three materials - brick, cast iron and timber. An intentionally restricted palette of three contemporary materials was selected - steel, aluminium and concrete, as modern day partners.
Sustainability was an integral concern from the beginning of the project. The gardens are irrigated by runoff from the upper level park and lower garden. The water is then stored in tanks below the boardwalk, allowing a unique microclimate to flourish. Flexibility and longevity were key criteria for the success of the project. JMD Design and TZG’s design utilised concrete, a material both economical and practical for the site’s public use, ensuring the State Heritage Listed site will be enjoyed by future generations.
The sites’ adjacency to the civic precinct of Paddington also further reinforces the importance of the project and the connection both physically and culturally to the local community. The landscape design interprets the unique legacy of the reservoir in its partially ruined state by maintaining a simple grassed park on the largely intact eastern roof portion whilst providing an accessible “Sunken Garden” in the ruined western chamber. The landscape works to the upper level and John Thompson Reserve incorporates the upgrade of the Oxford Street and Oatley Road street frontages in keeping with the City of Sydney street strategy. Pedestrian circulation flows though the upper level with a network of inclined walkways, paths and stairs. Access to the lower level “Sunken Garden” is through stairs from both the Oxford Street address and at the interface of John Thompson Reserve. A lift will also provide access to the lower level in this same location. The site was opened in March 2009 by Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, who stated that the project “breathes life” into this once under-utilised site.
Elizabeth Farrelly’s review of the site in The Sydney Morning Herald (13th August 2009) notes that “Everyone loves it….They liken it to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Baths of Caracalla. Personally I’d put it closer to Scarpa’s work at Castelvecchio in Verona, or Campi’s at Montebello in Bellinzona. Simply say this is a world-class weave of ancient and modern…”
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
2010
