A former industrial wasteland on Sydney’s waterfront has been transformed into a harbour cove and boardwalk based on designs by Bath-based international landscape architecture practice Grant Associates.
The Watermans Cove scheme, pictured, aims to revitalise a central part of Australia’s largest city into a world-class, vibrant waterfront precinct.
Thanks to Grant Associates’ pioneering design, the former shipping container terminal, which had been inaccessible to the public for more than 100 years, is now a public space on the city’s foreshore featuring a crescent-shaped cantilevered waterfront walkway to allow people to get close to, and enjoy, the water.
The fully-accessible, amphitheatre-style boardwalk extends to create a new public pier while huge sandstone blocks provide informal seating areas and native species trees create a shady backdrop to the open waterfront.
A feature fig tree has also been planted on part of the original dockside structure.
Watermans Cove is a key feature of Grant Associates’ designs for two hectares of public realm at Barangaroo South – a 7.5-hectare, mixed-use scheme being developed by global urban regeneration specialist Lendlease.
It also provides a waterfront setting to the dramatic Crown Resorts leisure complex designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.
Another key element of Grant Associates’ designs for Barangaroo South is the one-hectare Hickson Park. Due to open in December, it will provide a green link from Sydney’s central business district into the heart of Barangaroo’s retail and dining precinct adjacent to the slender residential towers designed by the acclaimed architect Renzo Piano.
The walkway at Watermans Cove represents a significant step forward in the plan led by the Government of New South Wales to create a continuous walkway around Sydney’s harbour foreshore.
Grant Associates founder and director Andrew Grant said: “Our aim for Watermans Cove was to create a memorable and distinctive new public space right on the water’s edge that took full advantage of its beautiful Sydney Harbour backdrop.
“We hope people will enjoy the boardwalk’s closeness to the water and savour its views, especially to watch the sunset.
“It has been a wonderful process to return this unique space back to people after being out of bounds for so many years.”
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian added: “Watermans Cove is a completely new public space and with steps down towards the water. It’s an incredible place for residents, workers and tourists to relax and take in the sights of our beautiful city.”
Planning and public spaces minister Rob Stokes said what was once a foreboding industrial wasteland was now a “picture-perfect postcard celebrating great design, great architecture and great open spaces”.
The pioneering scheme is the latest major design by Grant Associates, which has been involved in major eye-catching architectural schemes across the globe for 21 years and also has an office in Singapore.
These include the Gardens by the Bay scheme in Singapore which, since completion in 2012, has become a global phenomenon attracting more than 12mi visitors a year to experience its unique indoor and outdoor horticultural attractions.
The firm is also involved in the Friendship Park project in China’s innovative Tianjin Eco-City. Some 150km from Beijing, the coastal development will include a conservatory of five glass biomes, a wetland centre, an urban dock area, play areas, amphitheatre and secret gardens.
Closer to home, Grant Associates has also supported Bath’s Forest of Imagination community arts event, promoted the delicate ecology of Wessex Water’s operations centre on the city’s outskirts, and helped regenerate Bristol’s historic Harbourside as part of a £120m scheme for developer Crest Nicholson.
The firm’s pioneering approach to design and its mission to respond to the climate and biodiversity emergency as part of its core vision of connecting people with nature has earned it a place among the Bath businesses showcased by Bath Unlimited, the campaign to promote the city as a world-class location for dynamic and successful companies and their talented employees.
