Turf Design Studio and Jeppe Aagaard Andersen (JAAA +TDS) were commissioned in 2007 by Frasers Property to redefine the public domain for Central Park in Chippendale.
Working alongside acclaimed international and national architects, JAAA+TDS conceived an interconnected network of new places – streets, lanes, parks and plazas; each unique yet forming a whole greater than the sum of its parts - a new urban precinct in Sydney’s ‘City of Villages.’
At the heart of this public domain network for Central Park is Chippendale Green. This new public park meets the challenge of forging a robust and intelligent public park serving the local community and the city as a whole.
A large public park was always central to the masterplan intent. Orientating the Park’s long axis with the frontage of existing Chippendale terrace houses (as suggested by Peter John Cantrell) proved vital to creating a place of meaning and connectedness uniting the existing and future community. Thus, the Park’s position within the precinct – set back from Broadway – creates an intimacy rarely achieved by a park of this size and location within a city CBD.
The usual sounds of the city are a distant hum as residents sip on their coffees, perched on sandstone steps and bathed in the morning light. At lunch, people flock to the park and take vantage on Sydney’s longest timber bench seat. From there, users have elevated views of the Chippendale Green and down to Broadway. A stream of water downslope transecting the ‘green’ celebrates the flow of pedestrians moving from Chippendale through to Broadway.
A series of lawn terraces echo the old Brewery’s brick and sandstone detailing providing a seating edge that activates the open lawns. Simplicity and richness of design combine to create a place that is both fit for purpose and adaptable to the dynamics of city life.
The artwork ‘Halo’ by Turpin + Crawford sits within the Green, responding to the elements while echoing the long-forgotten processes of the Brewery works.
An eclectic informal mix of native and exotic trees envelope the park in a veil of green; its open lawns within. A Port Jackson fig and copse of Jacaranda and Illawarra Flame mark the Chippendale threshold, with a line of Angophora leading the way to Broadway. Plane trees throw shade over O’Connor Street while a circle of Manchurian Pear pays playful homage to Halo.
Since opening in late 2012, Chippendale Green has quickly become the new heart of Chippendale. As the public centrepiece of a modern city precinct, it reveals the power of the public domain to unite a neighbourhood experiencing dramatic change. By creating a ‘common ground’ for all - for the everyday dog walk or yoga class, to hosting the fortnightly Brewery Markets and major annual events such as Beams and Vivid, the community has embraced Chippendale Green at all levels.
As development surrounding Chippendale Green continues, the value of this public park to the city’s people will only increase. The iconic Brewery scheduled for completion in 2016 will see the parks north-western corner become a bustling mix of market, community library, brewing and creative workplaces.
Credits:
- Turpin + Crawford Studio - PUBLIC ART CONSULTANT
- Jeppe Aagaard Andersen - PUBLIC DOMAIN MASTERPLAN AND DESIGN - Jeppe Aagaard Andersen
- Lead by Foster + Partners with Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Johnson Pilton Walker, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Tzannes - MASTERPLANNING
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