Redfern Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by Brett Boardman

Redfern Park - Diagram, drawing courtesy JMD Design

Redfern Park is located in the suburb of Minto, 60 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD. Minto is an outer ring suburb currently undergoing a major urban renewal process as the result of changes to the State Governments public housing policy that is seeing the enclaves of the 1970's being rebuilt as new socially diverse suburbs. The replanning of the Minto has delivered a new subdivision layout, which has created an opportunity for several new parks. The parks are intended to foster and encourage social cohesion and identity for the newly reconfigured suburb by contributing to a strong local identity and creating a mix of opportunities for recreation and social interaction. JMDdesign are designing six new parks in the suburb.

Redfern Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by Brett Boardman

Redfern Park completed in November 2010 covers an area of approximately 2 ha on a sloping site. The eastern portion of the park is set aside for bush regeneration and planted with local species. The central portion allows for run-a-round and informal picnicking. The western portion of the park incorporates stormwater management measures in the form of gross pollutant traps, a rain garden and a large detention basin that doubles as an amphitheatre. Two steel bridges cross the rain garden to connect adjacent streets into the park and give access to the playground, the two picnic shelters and the yet to be completed community centre. The playground caters to a range of older age groups and occupies the western slope of the park adjacent to the future community centre. The playground twists and steps down the slope from the street to the amphitheatre providing a challenging and diverse play environment with a variety of spaces, edges and activity zones to encourage incidental gathering.

Redfern Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by Brett Boardman

JMD Design sought to create a playground experience that is very different from the traditional grouping of propriety play equipment but rather give a serendipitous experience that is particularly of this place.

+ Project facts

Project: Redfern Park
Design: JMD Design | www.jmddesign.com.au
Location: Guernsy Avenue, Minto, Sydney
Client: Landcom
Size: 2ha
Project Cost: Approx $2 million
Landscape Architect: James Mather Delaney Design Pty Ltd
Structural Engineer: Northrop
Civil Engineer: Alan Lalich and Associates
Project Manager: Mott MacDonald
Landscape Contractor: Co-ordinated Landscapes
Photo credit: Brett Boardman

+ All images and drawings courtesy JMD design

Jacaranda Park, image courtesy JMD Design

Jacaranda Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by John Platt

JMD Design were commissioned by Stockland to design document and provide construction quality advice for a feature park within a new subdivision project at Glenmore Ridge, Penrith. The eastern edge of the new park had been designed and built some ten years ago, hence the name Jacaranda Park. It was decided that the new park should break with the gardenesque image of the eastern half and create a new strong identity to the new suburb dropping away to the west.

Jacaranda Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by John Platt

Jacaranda Park, image courtesy JMD Design | Photo by John Platt

Special attention was paid to the existing topography, the character of the site in the western Sydney context and the future residential pattern. The post subdivision landscape provided the designers with a number of challenges in designing this park, most notably the large level change resulting from the construction of new roads and benched lots. The major level changes incurred by the civil design were embraced as a means to accentuate the topographic beauty of the site, retain two significant trees and reshape the land to maximize the playgrounds sense of groundedness. A small children's playground and bespoke shade structures were included along the most activated edge of the park ensuring passive surveillance.

Jacaranda Park - Diagram, drawing courtesy JMD Design

+ Project credits / data

Project Name: Jacaranda Park
Landscape Architect: JMD Design | www.jmddesign.com.au
Client: Stockland Location: Rosecera Circuit, Glenmore Park, Penrith, Sydney Project completed: 2010 Size: 9739m2
Project Cost: Approx $2 million AUD
Structural Engineer: Northrop Engineers
Civil Engineer: J Wyndham Prince
Project Manager: Stocklands
Landscape Contractor: Design Landscapes
Planner: Byrnes PDM
Access: Assess Associates Sydney

+ About JMD Design

JMD design is an award winning practice that provides a full range of landscape architectural services with an emphasis on the construction of high quality design. The three working directors have over 20 years experience in the profession, and lead a dedicated and creative team.

The practice has a strong commitment to achieving both site specific and environmentally responsible design solutions. We actively pursue the application of sustainable development principles in all our design projects. JMDD is particularly experienced in large scale public and private projects working as either project lead consultant or sub-consultant as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Services provided include:
• Landscape Design
• Landscape Documentation
• Contract Administration
• Urban Design
• Master Plan Reports
• Landscape Rehabilitation
• Vegetation Management Plans

+ All images and drawings courtesy JMD Design

Elements, render courtesy WE architecture

Elements, render courtesy WE architecture

Elements is a Pilgrim Center located in a scenic mountain landscape in Western Norway. Elements is a visitors' center in close connection to the wooden church, "Røldal stavkirke", from the 13th century. Røldal Stavkirke is one of the best preserved wooden churches in Norway and the church is the most frequent pilgrimage destination in the country. In order not to conflict with the church, the pilgrim center was fragmented into 4 boxes, stepping down into the landscape and given 4 completely different characters. The boxes are placed on the site so that they relate to the old church either by facing the latter or by creating outdoor space which is oriented towards it.

Elements, image courtesy WE architecture

Elements, image courtesy WE architecture

The various boxes, comprising respectively Exhibition space, Lobby space, Administration offices and Parish house, relate to a specific element in the surroundings: the church, the snow, the mountains and the sky. The choice of materials reflects the difference in the contained functions and character of each box , enhancing them as a separate volumes in the landscape.

Elements - Diagram, drawing courtesy WE architecture

Elements - Diagram, drawing courtesy WE architecture

+ Project credits / data

Name: Elements
Design: WE architecture
Assignment: Open competition
Type: Pilgrim Centre
Client: Røldal Pilgrim Centre
Place: Røldal, Norway
Year: 2011
Team: Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Nora Fossum, Kristian Hindsberg, Krystian Dziopek, Karolina Kierner, Mette B. G. Steffensen & Casper Berntsen

+ All images and drawings courtesy WE architecture

Farum, render courtesy WE architecture

Today suburbia is a typology that has been greatly criticized. We believe that suburbs have great potential in becoming qualified and generous spaces for the inhabitants.

Farum, render courtesy WE architecture

This competition was initiated by Realdania in order to create debate and visions for "The Suburbs of the Future". Farum is today a fragmented suburb located 20 km from the centre of Copenhagen. The competition area is divided by large roads into islands of eclectic architecture composed of buildings mainly from the 70s and the 80s. The main idea of the proposal is to preserve and enhance the character of Farum as a future suburb, combining the best of suburbia and the best of urbanity. The atmosphere of each island is intensified by preserving the existing typologies and upgrading the green areas. The area is densified on the premises of the neighbourhood, creating the familiar squares and qualified plazas that we know from suburbs, rather than defined streets.

Farum, render courtesy WE architecture

Surrounded by the built islands, the focus site, Bybækgunden , plays the role as a representative model for how to create robust solutions for the suburbs of the future. The building typology is planned after a flexible grid of 40 x 40 meters with mixed functions in up to 6 storeys. This flexible grid allows space for large squares and pockets in the porous building mass. The resulting typology is a harmonic variety of suburban and urban elements.

Farum, render courtesy WE architecture

+ Project facts

Name: Farum
Design: WE architecture | http://www.we-a.dk/
Assignment: Invited competition
Type: Urban Planning
Client: Realdania & Furesø Municipality
Size: 96 ha
Place: Farum, Denmark
Year: 2012
Team: Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Nora Fossum, Kristian Hindsberg, Casper Berntsen, Steffen Ommundsen , Mikkel Friberg, Tom Benjamin Hobbs, Justin Cua & Karen Shiue
Collaborators: JWH arkitekter, Preben Skaarup landskabsarkitekter, NIRAS, Gitte Marling

+ All images and drawings courtesy WE architecture

Portuguese photographer David Pereira of d10photo shared with us his recent photography of a house, this is a refurbishment project located in Lisbon (Portugal) and was designed by Architect Bruno Pica and Carla Pica.

+ Photographer: David Pereira of d10photo | http://www.d10photo.com/

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

Image courtesy d10photo

+ All images courtesy d10photo