Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

Angel Place and Ash Street are two of the priority upgrade projects which form part of the City of Sydney Laneway Revitalization Strategy, a scheme designed to reactivate a number of Sydney's historically significant laneways.

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

ASPECT Studios led a design team for the upgrade which included upgraded streetscapes, lighting, extended kerbs to calm traffic, a new stormwater system and the integration of a site specific artwork. The upgrade provides the backdrop for theatrical events and a safer pedestrian link to the popular City Recital Hall, George Street, Martin Place and the active retail laneway life on Ash Street.

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

The key transformation was to create a shared traffic environment facilitating walking and cycling. Vehicles are restricted in their usage – thereby increasing opportunities for day to day activation and street life.

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

The public art installation Forgotten Songs has been integrated within the Angel Place public domain. The installation of the suspended birdcages echoes the sounds of birds that historically lived in the Tank Stream area.

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

A refined palette of materials has been developed that utilises smaller paving and inground interpretation units, creating a high quality pedestrian priority groundplan for the lanes. Small retail shop fronts and tenancies are encouraged to allow for a commercial diversity in the city centre. A thread of lighting elements expresses the labyrinthine like quality of the laneways and provides visual cues to pedestrians that wider connections exist.

Courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

These new laneway projects provide a high quality public domain, and integrated, site specific public art which brings (not ‘buys’) joy and a unique reading of history to these new city spaces

ASPECT Studios

+ Project info / credit

Project Name: Angel Place and Ash Street Sydney Laneway Upgrades
Client/Owner: City of Sydney Council
Landscape Architects: ASPECT Studios
Project Location: Angel Place, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Size (sq m): 1530 m²
Completion Date: 2012

Design / Project Team:-
Landscape Architects: ASPECT Studios
Design Team: ASPECT Studios (Lead consultant), McGregor Westlake Architecture, Olsson Associates Architects, Michael Hill & FRD
Other Consultants: ARUP, Lighting, Art & Science, GML, Morris Goding, GTA Consulting, Wilde and Woollard
Main Contractor: Sam the Paving Man
Photography: ASPECT Studios, Simon Wood

Landscape Architects Firm Details:-
Company Name: ASPECT Studios
Address: Studio 61, Level 6, 61 Marlborough Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9699 7182
Fax: +61 2 9699 7192
Website: www.aspect.net.au
Email: atsukok@aspect.net.au
Contact person: Atsuko Kunugi

Chinatown Public Domain Upgrades, image courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The upgrades to Little Hay Street, Factory Street and Kimber Lane are stage one in the transformation of Chinatown's Public Domain. The focus of the work is to uplift the public domain quality and strengthen the pedestrian connections, whilst improving lighting, furniture, and embracing the distinguishing character of each street or laneway by integrating site specific public artworks.

Chinatown Public Domain Upgrades, image courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

ASPECT Studios' scope included rectification work to the art installation Heaven and Earth, located at the intersection of Little Hay and Dixon Streets, which has been upgraded with a new ground plane element incorporating granite etching, custom cast iron pieces and LED lights. Factory Street has been transformed into a share way, with a fine grain combination of granite pavers and cobbles carpeting the ground plane. Mature trees have been planted in Little Hay Street and Factory Street as well as an overlay of new lantern style lightboxes. A site specific ribbon of custom designed furniture completes the works assisting to reactivate these streets.

Chinatown Public Domain Upgrades, image courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood

Both streets are linked through Kimber Lane, a previously underutilised laneway. ASPECT Studios worked closely with artist Jason Wing to ensure full integration of his public art installation Between Two Worlds. The brightly coloured work includes painted elements, granite etching and site specific lighting which honour both the site's history and current community.

+ Project info / credit

Project Name: Chinatown Public Domain Upgrades – Little Hay Street, Factory Street and Kimber Lane
Client/Owner: City of Sydney Council
Landscape Architects: ASPECT Studios
Project Location: Little Hay Street, Kimber Lane and Factory Street, Chinatown, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Size (sq m)
Little Hay Street - 1870sqm
Factory Street - 660 sqm
Kimber Lane - 260sqm
Completion Date: 2012

Design / Project Team:-
Landscape Architects: ASPECT Studios
Design Team: ASPECT Studios (lead consultant), Deuce Design, Jason Wing, Peter McGregor, CAB Consulting
Other Consultants: Northrop, GTA Consultants, Lighting, Art + Science, Morris Goding Accessibility Consulting
Photography: Simon Wood

Landscape Architects Firm Details:-
Company Name: ASPECT Studios
Address: Studio 61, Level 6, 61 Marlborough Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9699 7182
Fax: +61 2 9699 7192
Website: www.aspect.net.au
Email: atsukok@aspect.net.au
Contact person: Atsuko Kunugi

+ All images courtesy ASPECT Studios | Photo by Simon Wood