We are very excited to announce that Blaxland Regional Playspace will be opening early June and the project team is busy finalising the finishing touches. This photo was taken from the top of the tree house looking down to the Water Play, Sand Pit…a little something to excite the kids.

In this adaptive reuse project, the former Lidcombe Hospital site has been converted to residential dwellings by Australand Holdings. JMDdesign have been involved over a number of stages of the redevelopment with Architects Allan Jack and Cottier and heritage consultants Godden Mackay Logan. The geometry of the building pairs constructed in the early 1900s is a unique example of Australian Institutional Architecture commenced in the Barnet Period and completed in the Vernon Period. The landscaping has been described as being of exceptional significance and is state heritage listed. The landscape design was guided by two key conservation principles firstly to acknowledge the many remnant layers of landscape works and plantations and secondly to reinstate the rich structure of planting which would have been present for the building period. The first stage of the project has been opened to the public.

Each year AILA Queensland celebrates the life of Karl Langer by awarding the Karl Langer Student Award. This year, Anton James will be special guest speaker at the award ceremony which takes place this Thursday 29th March at the Brisbane Exhibition & Convention Centre.

The Waterplay plaza is nearing completion with only the finishing coats of coloured concrete and softfall to be applied. For more info.

The framework for a 12 metre high treehouse is being constructed at Blaxland Regional Playspace. The treehouse design consists of two towers that are linked by a rope bridge high in the treetops. For more info.

Jacaranda Park was opened in July 2011 as part of Stockland’s residential development at Glenmore Ridge. The park, sitting on the brow of a hill, takes advantage of the elevated views over the residential development, Mulgoa Reserve and the Blue Mountains. The Park contains a toddler to 12 year old playground, lawn terrace, and passive recreation facilities, providing a neighbourhood park for surrounding residents. JMDdesign continues our involvement in the Glenmore Ridge Precinct with construction recently commencing on a major riparian corridor with pedestrian bridge, cycleways, a small toddler playground and exercise nodes.

Greenhills Beach is a newly listed suburb in the beachside area of Cronulla, located on the Kurnell peninsula in Sydney’s southern suburbs. JMD design (Mather & Associates Pty Ltd) has been working closely with Australand on the project since 1999.  In 2008 an agreement between Sutherland Shire Council, the landholders (one of two being Australand) and the NSW State Government was reached on 128hectares of privately owned land to enable the Greenhills Beach development to take place.

The development involves the zoning approval for 33hectares of low density residential land which was achieved by handing over land that contained the Kurnell peninsulas heritage dunes to Sutherland Council. Over $700,000 of rehabilitation works are being done to the heritage dune and rehabilitation works for the whole project totals more than 68 hectares and will restore natural plant communities including Coastal Dune Heath, Sydney Freshwater Wetlands, and the endangered Kurnell Dune Forest. Other works involve the construction of 10 sports fields, amenities buildings, carparking and a skate park.

As part of a multidisciplinary team including our client Australand Holdings, planners McKenzie Planning, engineers Insites and ARUP, JMD design have worked through complex approvals process.

Construction of stage 1 of the high quality residential development is well under way and includes streetscapes, wetland areas, water quality control and habitat ponds,  bushland rehabilitation works, public open space areas with boardwalks and pavilions,  access paths leading up to the dune embankment at Wanda beach and estate entry  and signage treatment.

Rehabilitation of the bushland areas has been a major task with approximately 70% of the area having been colonised with weed species - mostly bitou bush.  Jamberoo Native Nursery have been appointed to undertake the rehabilitation contract. Works to date include collection and propagation of locally indigenous plant material and selective spraying of the bitou over the flowering months last spring/summer with a good kill rate. The dead material has been carefully mulched in-situ retaining all endemic vegetation. They are now strategically placing erosion control measures and mulches to planting areas. Further mulching and planting of locally sourced plant material will take place in the coming months. These have been grown specifically in Jamberoo’s nursery since the inception of the project.

Documentation of Stage 1A of the Greenhill’s Parklands Sporting complex is well underway.

JMDdesign’s ongoing involvement at Oran Park Town has seen the opening of the Sales Office and Display Village in March 2010. The first Oran Park Town residents moved in early 2011. Projects that have been recently completed are Kolombo Creek Reserve, Kolombo Creek Shareway and Wayne Gardner Reserve. Wayne Gardner Reserve is the first of three major sports facilities to be constructed over the next five years. Streetscape treatments to three stages of residential development are also in hand. In July JMDdesign completed the Oran Park Town Public Domain Strategy which will be a valuable design and planning tool throughout the development of the Town Centre.

Glenmore Ridge Riparian Corridor is a 1.0km long, 100m wide section of creekline located in Western Sydney LGA of Penrith. JMD design has been involved in the design, documentation and administration of the creekline restoration and parkland works since 2011. The creekline construction works include stabilisation of the creekline, bush regeneration, replanting and parkland construction. The recent wet weather has made working in the creekline more challenging for rehabilitation contractor Toolijooa but they have managed to continue with the majority of works. Interestingly the wet weather has also bought out the native wildlife with a few sightings of brown and red belly black snakes. The Parklands to the Eastern side of the creekline are being completed by Perfection Landscapes and should open in Spring this year.

In 2010 work was completed on the upgrade of Camellia Court. Through simple level changes and the careful treatment of the ground plane, separation was created for canteen queuing, siting, handball, circulation and access. Granite pavement in different formats acts both to delineate use areas and allows for water infiltration around the existing Brachychiton tree.

In 2012 we are carrying out a number of small projects around the school greatly improving useability and circulation within the complex of open space that makes up the school site. Construction is due to commence shortly on a new access ramp and stair and a gymnasium bypass. These small insertions into the steep site are designed to improve student circulation between poorly connected spaces. The ramp and stair works require the construction of a walkway alternately suspended from an existing building and an existing sandstone ledge. Whilst the gymnasium bypass requires integration into a steep slope and the modification of existing stairs and walls.

A dramatic new landform that repeats the geometry and scale of the existing parkland terraces was built as the armature for the new playspace. The landform with its conical voids houses a variety of custom and proprietary play structures including crawl tunnels, tunnel slides, embankment slides, a “worm hole” climbing net, climbing walls, a mega swing, a spinning dish, wind socks, all as part of Stage 1. Stage 2 includes a 12 m high tree house, a sand pit and water plaza, a new carpark, and an amenities block and kiosk , both designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects.

Despite the soft opening in 2011 of the first stage, the playground has been immensely popular with children and parents alike. The completion of stage 2 in mid 2012 is awaited with great anticipation.