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Winners unveiled at Galvanizing Awards 2010
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Whitearchitecture completes world-class civic space
The Southport Broadwater Parklands, set to play host to major sporting and cultural events, has been completed in Southport in Australia by Queensland-based Whitearchitecture
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The area features a series of integrated and contemporary sustainable buildings. Located on a brownfield site, the Parklands includes the Pier Pavilion, which houses a display gallery and visitor centre, the Outdoor stage, the Southport Pier, the Amenities Building and the BBQ Pavilions. According to the architects, the design is inspired by the surrounding boats and sails and is created by the fracturing of pure geometric shapes. The white perforated skin that wraps the buildings on all sides includes integrated feature lighting within the façade to ensure that the structures glow throughout the night acting as a beacon for the parkland.
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Pathways are located over, through and around the buildings shaping the way in which the spaces are arranged. Along these paths, opportunities are created for resting and viewing with dedicated seating offering framed views of the surrounding Broadwater and Surfers Paradise skyline. According to the architects, the importance of large public events within the site has influenced the design of the structures with a reinforcement of the “processional” nature of major events and the accommodation of spectators being major factors in the way the layout of the buildings has been conceived.
The site’s numerous environmental initiatives include a state-of-the-art stormwater management, urban wetland and water polishing system, solar cells for energy efficiency and recycling of many materials on site. This attention to detail has set a new environmental benchmark for parkland development in Queensland.
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The Pier Pavilion building’s dual skin screening façade treatment shades the internal spaces from direct sunlight, minimising thermal mass radiation, and the integration of green roof areas provide significant insulation of ground floor internal spaces. A large skylight ensures the office and gallery spaces are bathed in natural light and all internal partitions and services have been laid out flexibly to ensure future adaptability as the park evolves and possible retail and commercial uses become a reality.
Extensive “end of trip facilities” have been provided to encourage city workers to jog or cycle to work and reduce reliance on vehicles, while a spine of shade structures lined with solar panels creates a large proportion of the park’s energy production to reduce the park’s reliance on the mains power grid.
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