botton + gardiner wins Western Sydney Parklands competition
1 October 2009
The newly formed Western Sydney Parklands is not a small project. The area covers 5,280 hectares, and the Parklands is a vast conservation, lifestyle and recreation area that stretches for 27km, from Quakers Hill in the north to Leppington in the south. In August botton + gardiner’s submission for the Parklands furniture design competition was selected from proposals by a number of invited design companies, as the suite of park and public space furniture for the Western Sydney Parklands.
The furniture suite is purposely designed to integrate the existing elements of the Parklands as a thread to form a visual connection across the Parklands. The furniture suite consists of seats, picnic settings, backless benches, bike racks, bubblers and bollards. Western Sydney Parklands is used by many people, each with different needs and with this in mind the furniture has been designed with many strong features such as wheel chair access, larger picnic tables, bubblers which facilitate the filling of water bottles and even a water bowl for dogs.
Another key area within the design is a focus on sustainable development, ensuring minimisation of material wastage and using highly durable materials such as Duraslat, a recycled hardwood and plastic composite with a 25 year warranty against structural failure. The manufacture and installation of the selected park furniture is proposed to commence later this year and will continue for a number of years.
This article is published by Outdoor Design Source, Australia's most comprehensive external works directory of products and services. Featuring suppliers for landscaping, playground equipment, shade structures and outdoor lighting in all its applications to erosion control, drainage, street & outdoor furniture, retaining walls, wholesale nurseries and so much more. Outdoor Design Source is the essential reference for all specifiers in the landscape, civil and amenities industry.
