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Engineering - Supreme Design Awards |
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Two innovative Wellington waterfront redevelopments showcasing the aesthetic approach to complex civil engineering projects have been recognised with national architectural awards. Taranaki Wharf and Oriental Bay foreshore won the only two Institute of Landscape Architects Supreme Design Awards given in 2004. The Oriental Bay project also won the New Zealand Institute of Architects' urban design category. And it seems Wellingtonians agree with the judges. Recent surveys show that 80 percent of Wellingtonians think the waterfront is a vast improvement on five years ago, and more people are using it as a recreational area. The Taranaki Wharf project transformed a large open tarsealed area with features including bridges and underwater lighting, while retaining the feel of the working waterfront. Transforming the old narrow stony beach was a complex project requiring creative solutions over six years of planning and testing before the machinery moved in. Engineers Tonkin & Taylor, architects Architecture Workshop and landscape architects Isthmus Group took up the challenge alongside Wellington City Council. Challenges included finding 17,500 tonnes of sand coarse enough to remain on the beach, and levelling off a steep offshore drop to be able to widen Freyberg Beach and prevent sand being lost. An extended headland and underwater reef was added to control wave action and slow sand movement. Three large, suitably camouflaged stormwater outlets also help control sand movement. Related LinksDepartment Details: |
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