New South Wales Projects & Sites
Sydney Park, Northwest Precinct
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
Landscape Architect: James Mather Delaney Design Pty Ltd ( JMD design )
Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Introduction
Following The City of Sydney’s commission to design and document the first stage (NW Precinct) of Sydney Park upgrade, JMD design re-calibrated the spatiality of the park, provided programmatic flexibility, ameliorated micro climatic conditions, re-configured circulation to minimise the impact of existing engineering infrastructure, turned problematic stormwater into habitat opportunity, inserted a regional scale all abilities playground and provided the setting for a kiosk and amenities cluster (designed by Stanic Harding Architects).
By capitalising on the existing site conditions (open sky, large distorted scale, contamination, poor shallow soils, crowded unhealthy trees, poor drainage, exposure to SE winds and traffic impacts) and interrogating the aims expressed in a 2006 masterplan prepared by Aspect, JMD design developed a fresh spatial and circulation diagram for the park that allowed significant improvements to the park’s legibility, usage and ultimately, it’s success. The strategic insertion of new mounds within the village green and the rethinking of the primary circulation route allowed previously problematic aspects of the park to be transformed into positive generative elements and provided a logic for the arrangement of the playground, amenities and open space areas.
The new mounds formed with contaminated site soils have re-calibrated the village green to provide enclosure and micro climatic amelioration from the south. The mounds create sub spaces within the village green suitable for a variety of programmatic uses from the informal to more organised spectator events. Whilst at the western edge a large mound provides wind and noise abatement and defines space that previously bled out to the Princes Hwy.
On the eastern side of the village green a zone of shallow, wet soils is incorporated into the design by directing additional water to the area to allow an impeded drainage habitat to develop, whilst on the western side a dry creek bed allows surface water to flow through the playground to provide a contrasting water treatment solution.
The highly detailed and spatially rich all abilities playground was developed by JMD design out of the educational, haptic , sensory and physical program developed by Rick McConaghy. The result is a surprising and delightful environment that integrates planting with standard and bespoke play equipment. The playground is bounded to the west by a mound and to the south by a dry creek bed, to the east and north a more permeable edge allows integration into the broader park whilst maintaining a boundary for dog walkers and other non playground activities.
The setting for the kiosk and amenities cluster forms an important edge to the open space. By means of long articulated terraces and seating walls the cluster integrates into the park and becomes another element within the larger vocabulary of new insertions into the park. It is adjacent to both the playground and the village green, it faces North East and is sheltered from adverse winds. Its location provides visibility and connection to the core of the park and service access without intrusion into it’s centre.
The Northwest Precinct works demonstrate how quality design can operate at both the strategic and detail level to accommodate complex technical and programmatic requirements. The Sydney Park Northwest Precinct design fulfilled the City’s requirements of providing an ecology of play whilst it also expanded the brief to improve the broader park experience, and it’s sustainability. The parks structure was transformed by the reuse of material from the site, soils were relocated avoiding disposal of contaminated material and existing figs were lifted and relocated. The Park’s vast popularity is a testament to the design’s vision and success.
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
2011
