Competition to design Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

design competition sydney
design competition sydney

Competition to design Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

Transport for New South Wales has launched a design competition to find an architectural team with heritage and Connecting with Country expertise to design a cycle ramp up to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

TfNSW will commence the competitive design process via an open Registration of Interest (ROI). Through this, three leading architectural design will be selected and the community will have the chance later this year to comment on the shortlisted designs, together with plans for the Alfred Street cycle path and the Lavender Street roundabout.

The announcement comes after a community consultation process found overwhelming support for a liner ramp over a looped design, the other option floated by the department.

Community responses showed that a clear majority supported the project, despite a push from North Sydney Council to oppose the ramp, supported by a $15,000 war chest.

Of the 2,578 survey responses received by TfNSW between 7 and 28 June, 68 percent supported the linear option, compared to 5 percent for the looped option, 9 percent for either option and 17 percent for neither.

Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

The responses did show a split between those who lived in immediately proximity to the site compared to those further afield, however.

In the immediate community 60 percent preferred neither option, while 82 percent of respondents in the local area supported a ramp, and 97 percent in the wider area also supported the ramp

The majority of survey responses, 71 percent, were from people who cycle at least once a week, 21 percent were from occasional riders and seven percent never cycle.

Submissions made outside of the survey showed a higher level of opposition to the project. Of the 461 submissions received, 40 percent supported the project and 58 percent opposed it.

Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

TfNSW said that the people who supported the project were impatient. “They believe the project is well overdue and is vital to making cycling a safe and accessible transport option for a wider group of people – not just those fit enough to manage the steps currently.”

Supporters also believed the ramp could help to activate Bradfield Park and bring recreational riders to the local area.

Those in opposition, however, believed the problem had been overstated and that the steps were “a minor inconvenience at worse.” They believed the impacts to open space were not worth the potential benefits.

In terms of the preferred design, supporters of the linear option thought it was the safer option due to its clear sight lines and separation of cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. They also considered it a more direct and easier connection for cyclists and though it looked better and was less intrusive than the loop.

written by: ArchitectureAU Editorial
17 Aug 2021
published in: architectureau.com

Gallery of Design Competition: Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

design competition sydney
design competition Sydney cycle ramp
Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp
Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp
Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp
Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle ramp

Australian wins competition for Californian landmark

Australian wins competition for Californian landmark

  A Western Australian architecture firm has won an international competition to design an architectural landmark for Silicon Valley in California.

Smar Architecture Studio’s design – selected from a pool of 963 submissions from 72 countries – will see 500 dynamic rods erected on the Arena Green at Guadalupe Park and Gardens in San José. Forming a tower that will soar to 200 feet (61 metres), the rods will sway in the wind, giving a dramatic visual effect while also generating enough power to light up the structure.

 Dubbed “Breeze of Innovation,” the kinetic structure will incorporate multiple levels of walkways and a dramatic viewing platform at its top.

“Silicon Valley is not about replicating the past; it’s about shaping the future,” said Smar founding partner Fernando Jerez. “Our goal from the beginning was to capture the ever-changing magic of Silicon Valley while also creating a deep connection with the San José community.”

    Jon Ball, board chair of Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, said the design was destined to have a profound impact on the local community. “We are extremely excited to announce ‘Breeze of Innovation’ as the winner of our design competition,” he said. “This entry stood out because of its elegant and sophisticated visual style, representing Silicon Valley through vibrant motion and singular grace on an imposing scale.

    Jon Ball, board chair of Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, said the design was destined to have a profound impact on the local community. “We are extremely excited to announce ‘Breeze of Innovation’ as the winner of our design competition,” he said. “This entry stood out because of its elegant and sophisticated visual style, representing Silicon Valley through vibrant motion and singular grace on an imposing scale.

    Jon Ball, board chair of Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, said the design was destined to have a profound impact on the local community. “We are extremely excited to announce ‘Breeze of Innovation’ as the winner of our design competition,” he said. “This entry stood out because of its elegant and sophisticated visual style, representing Silicon Valley through vibrant motion and singular grace on an imposing scale.

written by :   ArchitectureAU Editorial
29 Mar 2021
published in : architectureau.com

Australian wins competition for Californian landmark

    A Western Australian architecture firm has won an international competition to design an architectural landmark for Silicon Valley in California.

Henning Larsen Wins Competition for a Mixed-Use Development in South Korea

Henning Larsen Wins Competition for a Mixed-Use Development in South Korea

   Henning Larsen’s proposal for Seoul Valley was selected as the winner of the Central Seoul Development Competition. Seeking to become a new home for the public in the center of the city, the mixed-use development “merges Seoul’s global commercial profile with an ecological return to downtown pedestrian life”. Other entries included schemes by MVRDV and SOM.

    Located on the northern border of Yongsan-Gu, one of Seoul’s central districts, the winning proposal of the 360,644 m² mixed-use urban development, is designed by Henning Larsen in collaboration with local architect Siaplan and retail consultant Benoy. Mixing office, retail, hotel, and residential program within a public podium, the project will enter the Schematic Design phase in the spring of 2021. Aiming to meet the goals of Seoul’s 2030 plan, Seoul Valley creates a comfortable and vibrant space for locals and visitors.

    Seoul Valley is such an exciting project for central Seoul. For well over a decade the city has been actively working to revitalize its urban fabric, focusing on the spaces between buildings and the pedestrian links. Seoul Valley fits into that vision, promising to bring public life back to the center not just through shops and amenities but through a design that focuses on public comfort, greenery, and local tradition. —

Jacob Kurek, Henning Larsen partner in charge.

    Seoul Valley merges both human and city scale. Fragmenting its elements into numerous smaller masses as they meet the elevated ground floor where they generate gardens, terraces, and courtyards in between the structures, Seoul Valley invites pedestrian flow to access the project from a sprawling tribune stair on the north side and along the Seoul Skygarden Park to the south.

    Office and hotel towers cluster around a leafy core: a Biospheric Layer mitigates pollution, a Percolation Layer blocks noise and forms a lush green interior, and a Conscious Layer stimulates the senses. The massing is the result of extensive wind and climate studies, aimed at reducing heat buildup and prolonging the outdoor season. Retail modules are dispersed throughout the site, creating a free-flowing, ever-changing space that encourages lingering and exploration.

    As an industry, we’ve known for a long time the benefits of daylight, exterior views, greenery…but such benefits are often pushed to the side in favor of maximizing frontage in commercial design. Shopping in the future won’t necessarily be about coming out of the shop with a bag, so our goal with Seoul Valley was to have both. In the end, we believe the whole is more than the sum of its parts. — Jacob Kurek, Henning Larsen partner in charge.

written by : Christele Harrouk
30 November 2020
published in : archdaily.com

Henning Larsen Wins Competition for a Mixed-Use Development in South Korea

    Henning Larsen’s proposal for Seoul Valley was selected as the winner of the Central Seoul Development Competition. Seeking to become a new home for the public in the center of the city, the mixed-use development “merges Seoul’s global commercial profile with an ecological return to downtown pedestrian life”. Other entries included schemes by MVRDV and SOM.

Sutherland Shire entertainment center gets the final go ahead

Sutherland Shire entertainment center gets the final go ahead

    The Sutherland Entertainment Center holds an important place in the collective memory of the Sutherland community. Designed and built in the 1970s primarily as a musical venue, the then ‘Sutherland Civic Centre’ relied on an inward focus on its auditorium and on a narrow public address to Eton Street.  This was a time when buildings like this relied on a separation between inside and outside and where spaces such as the foyer had only one purpose.  This was also long before the development of Peace Park to the building’s north.

Fast forward to the present day.  What we now find is a 40+ year old building which is in relatively good physical condition. However, as a modern day public venue, it must now cater to a diversity of cultural and technical needs. It must have a more open outlook and offer more to its community, both in terms of its relationship with its immediate surrounds but also in its spatial flexibility.

    Our proposal seeks to offer a new and more engaging address for the Entertainment Centre by virtue of a friendlier and integrated relationship with Peace Park.  This speaks to an opportunity to re-affirm Peace Park as the civic heart of Sutherland – a place with stronger connections not only to already established civic institutions but also with anticipated future developments within the Sutherland Town Centre.

    Just as there is much spatial potential between the building and the park there are also wonderful opportunities to re-use much of the building’s current fabric.  We propose that the existing black box space and administration building be retained and re-purposed to be café / theatre bar and foyer on the Ground Floor and multi-purpose community room and rehearsal space on Level 1.  Likewise, the structure and facade on the north side of the building would be adapted for new uses such as restaurant, kitchen and stores on the Ground Floor; Administration spaces on Level 1 and Green Room on Level 2, each with a view of the park and connected by the existing ivy clad egress stair.

    The auditorium also retains much of its surrounding envelope but will become an entirely new and lively space.  The existing flat floor will be transformed into a more immersive tiered seating arrangement and all acoustics, accessibility and back of house functions revitalised to provide a venue with broad appeal for audiences and performers alike.  The new theatre will be designed to meet or exceed national benchmarks for Performing Arts Centres, achieving a four star rating for theatres on the local, regional and national touring circuit.

Sydney’s Sutherland Shire Council has voted unanimously to go ahead with the largest infrastructure project in the council’s history, the redevelopment of its Civic Centre.

    A state-significant development application for the proposed Sutherland Entertainment Centre was approved in October.

Chrofi and NBRS Architecture won a design competition for the project in May 2019. Their winning scheme included a verandah structure that will be added to the north of the existing structure, the Sutherland Civic Centre, and form a large foyer space and connection to the adjacent Peace Park.

Other works include a refurbished theatre with tiered seating, a fly tower over the stage to cater for diverse performances, flexible teaching and rehearsal spaces, a new entry court incorporating flexible outdoor events space, and upgrades to Peace Park.

    “The Sutherland Entertainment Centre has been a much loved and well used performance and events space for over forty years, but we all acknowledge it is in need of a refresh to ensure it can continue to be the region’s premier entertainment destination for many years to come,” said mayor Steve Simpson.

“Plans to redevelop or replace our Entertainment Centre have been floated for almost as long as the building has been standing, with plans to upgrade the facility first brought before Council in 1984.

Construction will begin in early 2021, and completion is expected in 2022. The council is continuing to seek funding from relevant government agencies to support the project.

written by : ArchitectureAU Editorial
19 Nov 2020
published in : architectureau.com

Sutherland Shire entertainment center gets the final go-ahead

 “The Sutherland Entertainment Centre has been a much loved and well used performance and events space for over forty years, but we all acknowledge it is in need of a refresh to ensure it can continue to be the region’s premier entertainment destination for many years to come,” said mayor Steve Simpson.