Northern Territory Sites
DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE AND HOLIDAY INN FORECOURT
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
Landscape Architect: Clouston Associates
Location: Located in Mitchell Street, Darwin
the heart of the entertainment precinct within Darwin CBD
This was an area well overdue for a major upgrade! With a line up of progressive property owners and a team of designers with a strong vision, a transformation was about to take place.....
Concept and Intent
The upgraded forecourt was proposed to be a meeting place that reflected the physical and cultural qualities of the Top End landscape, responded to the extremes of climate and embraced the outdoor lifestyle so typical of Darwin.
The design concept draws on the people and landscape of the Top End coast – a low coastline, looking north to Asia and exposed to the monsoons of the wet season, a vibrant and ubiquitous fusion of aboriginal people and more recent arrivals, drenching rain, every year a 6 month ‘drought’, regular influxes of tourists. The key components of the place comprise:
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An open, welcoming space, accessible to all
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The ‘Wave Wall’ – a sculptural wall representing the Arafura Sea and Darwin Harbour
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Porcellenite stone work, local timbers and aggregates
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Smart shade – utilizes a wind sensor to automatically retract in high winds
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‘The Raft’- an expansive timer deck symbolizing the Larrakeayah’s links to the ocean
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Hard durable paving incorporating reflecting the Top End
The design seeks to deliver a project that:
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Is distinctly characteristic of Darwin and the tropics
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Establishes a new standard in urban design within the Darwin CBD whereby the building forecourt becomes an integral part of the streetscape and adds to the overall function of the street as a public space
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Reinforces the historic link between the Church and the harbour
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Creates a flexible, vibrant destination that is easily adapted to a range of outdoor functions and events, a central dimension of Darwin life.
SPECIAL FACTORS
Car parking sacrificed for pedestrians and street trees – what a win for urban design in the car dependent Darwin CBD.
A landscape solution that has longevity, adopted new materials and construction approaches to ensure long term viability, and a refocus of the street to the needs of pedestrians.
The basic components are simple but robust. It is the ephemeral overlay of people, the ability to ‘stage a show’, occasional art pieces, informal and unplanned meetings, seating walls that become backdrops, steps that become seats, walls that withstand becoming skaters grinding edges.
The forecourt is all about what it has become and the diversity of function – it is now a place of activity that changes by the hour. It has become a new social and cultural focus in the CBD.
The Forecourt Upgrade has responded to the brief by establishing an attractive new forecourt, solving numerous public liability risks, and delivering a low maintenance landscape.
Designed well and designed it to last. When its days are numbered, able to be dismantle and re-use – this has been a key sustainablity focus of the design.
Local and recycled materials; re-use of waste; water conservation through low water use planting
Micro-climate – a shading strategy that maximizes year round use and promotes outdoor use in a comfortable setting
introduction / overview / images / location / Projects
2008
