Portfolio Three

Commercial development - Ace Cinema Site, Subiaco

This was an exciting project to be involved in and one I have been waiting eagerly to post here. Although the work I produced for this site was undertaken in the last weeks of 2012, I was unable to due to the sheer length of time the proposed redevelopment went through all the relevant DA's, DAP's before it finally ended up at the State Administrative Tribunal.
On Friday the 9th of September it was finally approved.

For those of you worried about losing the cinema, don't!

The proposed development includes new cinemas in the hotel building that will be built in what is currently the car park behind the cinema building.

There is a lot more information I could pass on about what is proposed to go into this site, however the focus here is the landscape, not the buildings - although how the two work together was an integral part of the design from both the architects view and mine.

 

 Image 1. Landscape Concept Plan with precedent images.

 

 

Image 2. Laneway Plan and Perspective

 

 

Image 3. Piazza Plan and Perspective

 

There has been many changes to the built form since these images were prepared, due to the various requests from the Subiaco City Council and the SAT. However the landscape proposal will be very similar to what you can see in the perspectives. Lots of seating areas, both covered and uncovered, with deciduous trees shading the seats for the hot months and letting the sun warm bodies in winter.

The proposed food court, retail outlets facing into the laneway and piazza, hotel and cinema complex and office space will all ensure this area will become vibrant and lively during the day and night. It will be a huge improvement on what is currently on the site and will activate this section of Subiaco.

 

 

Once again, if anyone wants to know any more details about this project, landscape or built form, please let me know.

 

For those of you who know the site well, particularly if you live and/or work in Subiaco, I would love to know your views on the proposal.

 

Do you agree this will activate this area of Subiaco?

If not, please tell me what your views are and how you would activate it.

Do you think Subiaco is dying as the Post is often reporting?

Will a large amount of additional office space and the first hotel in Subiaco change this?

 

Once again, thanks for reading and making me a part of your day.

 

Jenny

 

 

 

Portfolio two....

Residential property - Applecross

Hi everyone,

Glad to have you back to view another of my projects, this time a residential property in Applecross.

Through the recommendation of a great architect and friend Nanda Day from Day Designs, I was lucky enough to work on the landscape design and plant selection of an amazing property in Applecross, which was completed just prior to Christmas 2012.

Working together we were able to create intimate spaces around the property, each with its own distinctive characteristics, whilst also having an adaptable program within these spaces. This is a necessity for modern living, spaces which can adapt for growing or changing families, which may provide a particular function today, whilst in a few years’ time it may need to perform an entirely different function.

This young family required a shaded, safe and relaxing environment around the pool, within view of the most widely used areas of the house and with the most amazing view of the Swan River, Kings Park and Perth CBD as well! They wanted to emulate a Balinese villa, complete with lush, tropical planting to set off the variety of fantastic natural stone that were to be used on nearly every surface, both horizontal and vertical.

Situated in a very open position next to the river, the challenge was to find plants that would provide the tropical aspect, whilst being able to survive our harsh summer sun and both the easterly breezes in the morning and the strong sea-breeze in the afternoon. No small task!

The choice for around the pool was fairly easy, finding them a bit more difficult. Thanks to Ellenby Tree Farm, three beautiful, mature Plumeria species, or Frangipani’s were sourced from around the state, with a striking tri-coloured flower called Fruit Salad, a mixture of yellow, orange and pink. The unusual colour of the Frangipani’s makes them stand out from the usual white or pink varieties so prevalent around Perth.

 

Above images – 1 – 5. Decking around the pool with feature cut-outs to incorporate the

mature Frangipani trees.

The choice for around the pool was fairly easy, finding them a bit more difficult. Thanks to Ellenby Tree Farm, three beautiful, mature Plumeria species, or Frangipani’s were sourced from around the state, with a striking tri-coloured flower called Fruit Salad, a mixture of yellow, orange and pink. The unusual colour of the Frangipani’s makes them stand out from the usual white or pink varieties so prevalent around Perth.

With the aim to make the landscape as water wise and maintenance free as possible, synthetic turf (yes - fake grass!) was used in the backyard. Green Planet Grass has one of the most realistic products on the market at the moment. The product name is Saturn II and it looks like couch, so it has a fine green leaf, with a shorter layer of a light brown undergrowth type leaf, which gives it the appearance of real grass.

As the owners have a dog, instead of the usual fine soil added to the turf nap after it has been laid, a special odour absorbent soil was substituted, to combat any possible smells from the pooch favouring a particular area for his toilet.

Ellenby Tree Farm also provided a stunning Draceana draco for the small front garden next to the driveway. This space, being in close proximity to the sizeable water feature near the western gate, required something large and special to balance the big wall and feature pot.

It also had to be able to stand strong winds as this was situated at the end of the passage down the length of the house, which funnels the wind along its length. After an initial settling in period, where it lost a few lower leaves, the tree has settled in and is looking fantastic, as you can see in the photos.



Above images – 6 – 9. The large front yard water feature balanced by a mature Draceana draco.

Other tropical plants like low growing baby Bamboos, assorted grassy type plants and the beautiful Raphis palm completed the required tropical look underneath the Draceana.
The large front verge, covering over 240 square meters, was another big challenge. The owner wanted to be able to drive a boat across it without damaging the turf, whilst looking green and cool, and meeting all the City of Melville verge requirements. The finished checker type pattern has a large enough gap between the pavers to enable a mower to run straight through for easy maintenance, with the pavers being concreted into their positions so as to not move when driven over. The concrete is low enough in the soil so the turf is able to grow over and hide it, giving a sturdy, yet aesthetically pleasing green verge to enhance the streetscape.

The upstairs front balcony looks over at the neighbour’s house and garden and the busy street. To give the appearance of blending with the next door property similar plants were used – bamboo, in a clumping variety, which will both ‘borrow’ from the neighbour’s garden and screen the balcony from view. The lower plants of Mandevilla Crimson Fantasy and Philodendron Xanadu will provide visual interest with their flower colour and contrasting foliage’s.



Above images – 10 – 16. The large front verge and other images from around the property.

 

Succulents were used prolifically on the rear balcony as the easterly wind and full summer sun hits all the planter boxes specially built in large sizes to match the large spaces of the balcony. The planter bowl seen in the top left image is in the windiest, most exposed position of all the plants at this property – sorry the image is a bit dark. The succulents in this bowl are all low growing varieties and are thriving and look fantastic now, they’re a variety of different leaf colours and types. The low water requirements of the plants have meant there is minimal water required for the planter, which means almost nothing leaks out of the bottom, providing an easy maintenance bowl of gorgeous and unusual leafed plants.

To build this design I approached to landscaping companies with a request to tender for the project. The landscaping company chosen was MCL Commercial Landscaping and Maintenance. They did a fantastic job, fixed any problems that arose, most of which were through no fault of their own and by the hand of other contractors on site, but they would rectify or replace the item immediately. They also offered a 6 week, post-build maintenance program, during which time they were able to tweak various things like reticulation timing and length. This service, together with the landscape work, showed me what I great choice I’d made in offering the chance to tender for the project.

That’s all from me for now about this property, although if you have any questions please feel free to ask away. In my next blog post I will feature a tree, one well suited to our sunny Perth climate,  and give you the characteristics and benefits and/or drawbacks of it, in the hope to inspire you to plant a tree tomorrow!

Once again, thank you for making me a part of your day, I hope your day is fantastic! J

Jenny



Portfolio one.....

The Peninsula Estate, Burswood 

Above images - 1. Streetscapes.   2. Public access way (PAW) design.  3 & 4. Water sensitive urban design.

Through the continued association of my company - Terra Verde with Mirvac WA, the opportunities to work on projects around The Peninsula Estate at Burswood have been both numerous and varied.

Ranging from leafy streetscapes designed to shade both the footpath and street, to lushly planted public access ways for easy access between areas within the estate. There has been public open space designs incorporating both water sensitive urban design (WSUD) and water feature design, as well as exciting landscaped areas and gardens all sitting over basement car parks, so our contribution to the landscape design of the estate has been both significant and rewarding.

Above images - 5 to 9. The Lake Park.

 

Another of the projects undertaken was The Lake Park - as seen in the images above.

These show the landscaped corridor linking The Peninsula Estate, along the edge and overlooking the Burswood golf course and into The Crown Casino.

The name is derived from the park meandering past one of the small lakes situated within the golf course.

The park also serves as a soft barrier between the built form of the residential tower adjacent ot it and the public thoroughfare through to the casino.

Patterns and foliage colours are not only designed for visual aesthetics at ground level, but also to provide a great display for residents in the adjacent tower when viewed from above.

 The image below was taken from the top floor of the tower just after planting and clearly shows the contrasting foliage’s.

Above image 10 - Aerial view of the Lake Park with the
patterns in the foliage textures and colours.     

Additional input into the landscape design of the Public Open Space (POS) within The Peninsula Estate at Burswood was adjacent to the northern most residential tower. The landscaping around the base of the tower itself, along with the other residential towers throughout the estate have been designed by another Perth landscape architecture firm, so I'm not going to take credit for their designs.

The existing water feature, which begins in the central piazza between the original two towers and spills into a large lake, was extended north. The two existing landscaping features needed a compliment, one which would facilitate ease of movement into the neighbouring POS and incorporate the existing lake and POS surrounding it.

This design had to incorporate a number of features to cater to the wide range of visitors to the space, as well as softening the edge of the basement car parks abutting the POS. Lush but hardy planting, again with a mixture of foliage’s and textures, and a large number of mature trees helped the new portion of the POS blend seamlessly with the old.

The addition of fully shaded play equipment, plus numerous seating options, has made this POS a popular addition to the myriad of POS areas around the estate.

 

Above images – 11 to 16 – Various images of the some of the areas within the POS adjacent to the northern-most residential tower at the Peninsula.

Working with the team at Mirvac WA has been a very rewarding experience, and particular mention must be made of the fantastic working partnership between myself and the Landscape Maintenance Manager at Mirvac. Our working relationship goes back many years, and together we make a great team. Hopefully this will continue for many years into the future as well.

Terra Verde has also been involved in a number of landscape projects in Mirvac WA’s land assets around Mandurah, south of Perth. Currently the design for a foreshore POS is in with council for approval and another POS design is in the pipeline. Images and plans will be uploaded when they are approved and the construction of the POS begins, in a few short months.

So what are your favourite spots around Burswood?
Do you travel to Burswood from surrounding areas to make use of the beautiful landscaped areas throughout the estate?
Or, when you think of Burswood, do you just think of the casino?

 

Thanks again for making me a part of your day!

Jenny