Paperboy sits down with Isthmus Group’s Grant Bailey to discuss the international design award that Kopupaka Reserve in west Auckland has just won
Why this west Auckland park won an international design award
A new suburban development with a shopping mall at its heart seems an unlikely location for an award-winning piece of landscape architecture. What were the project’s main challenges?
The project began as a stormwater reserve and open-space corridor to protect and enhance the existing streams and provide water-quality improvement. We focused on meeting these objectives but also adding value by bringing out its potential as a recreational area.
What are the key features of your design?
The design is based on three components: the restoration of three existing streams; constructed stormwater wetlands at the confluence of these streams; and woven timber crib structures which are an expression of Maori values associated with water and the resources that wetlands provide. The sculptural structures are representative of woven hinaki eel traps and woven flax ropes – they define place, contain space, retain land, conceal engineering and reveal the wetlands.
The three wetlands provide a unique spatial and recreational experience including walking and cycleways, and a future skatepark and playspace. The baskets can act as gathering spaces for community activities.
How did it feel to win World Landscape of the Year at the World Architecture Festival?
We had no expectation of winning an award. We entered to test and benchmark ourselves. Sharing with the top practitioners from around the world was a really unique and positive experience. We were there to understand the world standard for architecture and landscape architecture and where we fitted into that world. Coming away with a win was a bonus we weren’t expecting.
This article was first published in Paperboy magazine and originally appeared on Noted.co.nz
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