small park transformed A small park crowded with anaemic looking trees, dirty, gloomy and unattractive. A railway viaduct running through the space provided shelter for Sydney’s homeless community. How to meet both the demands of the residents and the needs of the local homeless community? Robust structures, ease of maintenance and good visual surveillance were important requirements. Retaining walls and some trees were eliminated to enable better flow through the park, facilitating easier cleaning by council trucks. Comfortable seating allows friendly gatherings. Drains, pits and other places, where drugs could easily be concealed, were eliminated. The amenities structure is incorporated into the large steel trellises that line the two “urban walls” of the park. Vines create a “green waterfall”. Durable materials include galvanised steel, tiled concrete blockwork, polished concrete floors and recycled brick paving. The stainless steel doors were laser cut to a pattern abstracted from the park plan. The Bourke Street Park nearby features an amenity block with patterned stainless steel doors and an inverted roof of galvanised steel.

Client: Sydney City Council Location: Sydney, Australia Partners: Terragram; Hansen Yuncken Pty Ltd; Rooney and Bye Size: Park Site Area 848 sqm; Amenities 16.2 sqm Status: Built, 2011 Photos: Richard Glover

carpets and astroturf revitalise a suburban mall The rejuvenation of the southern part of a suburban mall called for networked objects, structures and landscape elements. An amphitheatre, informal seating, soft landscaping, shade, an iconic meeting place and a strong gesture to mark the area were also required. Two concepts were developed by CEA. “Magic Carpet” extended a grassy mound providing a soft green space for people to sit, eat their lunch and just relax, re-emerging at other points providing extra seating and helping to integrate the project with the remaining mall area. The spacing of the battens on a shade structure in a free-form curved shape was modulated, as in a musical score, to alter the amount of shade and protection offered at various points. “Tectonic Plates” used shifting platforms of red astroturf for informal seating and extended further along the mall, helping to integrate the project with the other areas. Hydroponically grown vines provide shade via a suspended stainless steel cable net. “Foreign Script Seats” referenced the ethnically diverse area.

Client: Liverpool Council Location: Liverpool, Sydney, Australia Status: Concept, 2003 Images: CEA

a radical, sensual and dynamic structure An exhibition structure needed to capture the attention of commuters. And be column-free with a 4m high opening all around with a strong and unusual visual image. Using the standard framing system of the “aluminium hall” as a point of departure, a free-form structure was developed. CAD/CAM technology fabricated the b-spline curved trusses to produce the required shape. The fabric is draped over the structure and stretched down. The opening walls were an inexpensive tie-down system or a vertical curtain system. Bold graphics and colour, exciting new form, and a new kind of decoration were combined to create an arresting visual image. An intriguing spatial quality with internal graphics and lighting ensures that visiting the pavilion is an experience. The graphic treatment includes definitions of the words “festive, festival, festivity and festoon”, adding vitality by treating the structure itself as message.

Client: FDC Location: Mt. Penang Gardens, NSW, Australia Status: Concept, 2002 Images: CEA

blurring the real and the imaginary The design concept for a new opera house is an architectural experience that enhances the journey into the unknown, the mystical and the beyond, blurring the line between real and imaginary. Three primary components are the plinth (housing admin and back of house), the theatres, and the foyers. The forms are inspired by the dynamism and fluidity of ballet and the drama of the Norwegian landscape. The rugged landscape, the glaciers carving through, the brightly coloured villages. The design has many moods, and the ‘frozen music’ of the roof and walls contrasts the golden colour of the interiors. 

Location: Oslo, Norway Status: International Competition entry, 2000 Images: CEA