Arcadia Landscape Architecture worked with Architectus and CityWest Housing (CWH) to develop The Platform, an inner city affordable housing project within the Carriageworks Precinct, three kilometres from the Sydney CBD.
The strong contextual design response was drawn from a rich site history and landscape character.
Sustainable outcomes were a priority on this project. The landscape materials selected are intentionally honest and raw. Nothing was included to look like something else.
Recycled materials were used wherever possible - for effect and to reduce new materials on site. The project utilised a mix of recycled beams, sourced from the site, and native hardwood timber from sustainable sources.
Recycled furniture has been included in place of introducing new elements wherever possible. Water management was integrated into the project during the planning stage. The gardens of the site have been designed to contribute to biodiversity and the environmental legacy of the project.
KEY INITIATIVES
- Old platform benches have been recycled as seating
- Salvaged timber beams from the original building are used as seating benches, expressed decking bearers and pergola uprights.
- An old air tank from the original site has been repurposed as a focal water element.
- Ticket stamps, once used on the railroad, are set into the pavement to reflect the site's context and history.
- Original warehouse lighting is reused into the lighting well Old machinery has been recycled as a design feature in the lobby
- On Site Detention and Rainwater Tanks are provided, catering for irrigation needs and reducing pressure on potable water sources.
- Xeriscape garden design minimises water usage
- An urban forest, utilising native and indigenous trees, has been integrated into the deepsoil area of the development, providing shelter and habitat for local fauna.
- Variety of other native shrubs and grasses contributes to biodiversity and the environmental legacy of the project.
