Site Office Pty Ltd
Landscaping in Melbourne

It is the element of the unknown the expectation of something different, that makes public spaces so fascinating. The promenade has perpetual been a democratic space: on the promenade all things are equal. The act of promenading, walking, sauntering or strolling is also about watching, viewing, observing and participating. Yet in recent times, the promenade has had to adapt to fresh forms of movement. We also have a lot more time and money for recreation, resulting in an increased demand for recreational space. The real change in the nature of the promenade has been the proliferation of new forms and speeds of travel, such as skating, roller balding, jogging and cycling, as well as an increase in the use of public space for events, which have placed great pressures on the conventional infrastructure and design of the promenade. The St Gilda foreshore promenade is one such circumstance where these changes have over time resulted in a dysfunctional public space incapable of performing as a promenade should. As such, it becomes a measure of the quality of our relationship with the land. Techniques such as cultivars, grafting, hybrids and more recently plant genomics (bio engineering) all seek to alter the naturally occurring form of a plant in some fundamental, artificial way in the search for something fresh and improved. This garden is an exploration into artificial Australian plant production and how this activity may encourage the advancement of scanty and endangered spices. This garden represents a scale shift: a synthetic, cellular landscape planted with species of native plants that are the result of diverse levels of synthetic manipulation. Site Office is a landscape architectural consultancy specializing in the design of innovative and high quality public spaces. For the preceding 10 years, we have been busy steadily on a range of projects with a powerful public realm focus, exploring diverse strategies designed to improve the quality of many urban spaces within the city. We are particularly interested in the myriad of wonderful and often unpredictable ways in which people inhabit and use public space. Our labor focuses strongly on developing functional designs that donate multiple and new ways of experiencing public space. We comprehend the importance of public space in promoting sure connections between people, particularly in an era that is increasingly focused on the individual rather than the community. Our design projects seek to engender a mighty sense of community ownership and pride in the site, to ensure the ongoing victory of the design well after the designers have left. The Grampians Peaks Succeed will be a world class, lengthy distance walking experience, showcasing the beauty and majesty of Gariwerd’s instinctive and cultural landscapes. The Grampians is a rugged and majestic landscape stuffed of wonderful stories to be told, including the rugged geology, the variable climate, the different flora and fauna, the ancient indigenous culture and the post settlement landscape, all of which contribute to a wealthy and deep understanding of the Grampians landscape. Leading a multidisciplinary project team consisting of architects, ecologists, economists, artists and recreational planners, the project explored original ways to synthesize the underlying ecology of the sensitive foreshore environment with the functional requirements of the public park, in special the need to accommodate a broad range of functions, including the Carr um Bowls Club, the sea scouts, public toilets and change facilities, a multipurpose community space and a trivial ca. The win of the project was the communication of the design ideas and the generation of customary support for the master plan in an otherwise fractious community environment. In 2011, the first stage of works arising from the master plan was completed, including the construction of a new community pavilion (to house toilets, the bowls club, the sea scouts, a community room and cafe), vehicle parking and the landscape connection to the foreshore and beach. The project explores the integration and overlap of multiple community facilities and activities, promoting a stronger sense of community ownership and engagement. The project illustrates the importance of innovative, broad reaching master planning, active community engagement, excellent detailed design and the need to thrive flexible staging plans that can be implemented over a longer period, yet consistent with the vision for the site.