Meet Pirrama Park, an award-winning, multifunctional public park in Sydney, Australia. This new waterfront amenity reflects the site’s maritime history and educates visitors about water through playful elements. The name, Pirrama, comes from the local indigenous name for the area.

Scope

According to the City of Sydney, the 1.8 hectacre (4.45 acre) Pirrama Park’s design recognizes many aspects of the historic working waterfront: The “sandstone artifacts in the innovative playground reflect former quarries; the promenade marks the original shoreline; ‘Stevedore Walk’ recalls the wharves and workers; and native plantings restore biodiversity to this once heavily vegetated peninsula.” In addition, much of the site functions as a water filter and includes space to store that water, which is used to irrigate plants within the park.

Key Players

Pyrmont Village and other local communities
New South Wales state government
Aspect Studios

Timeframe

Planning and design begun: 2007
Year Completed: 2010

What makes this the Next Generation of Parks™?

When the former Water Police land went up for sale, local community members successfully lobbied to keep the land public and prevent sale to residential condominium developers. In that sense, this project encompasses re-use and a high level of community involvement, both characteristic of the Next Generation of Parks™.

Pirrama Park also fills a missing link in a 14km (8.7 mile) segment of waterfront parks, making it part of a connected park network within greater Sydney. In addition, the park adeptly treats and highlights the importance of water with integrated solutions for filtering, storing, and reconnecting people to the water.

Explore More

Aspect Studios
City of Sydney
World Landscape Architecture

Photographers: Florian Groehn & Adrian Boddy. Courtesy Aspect Studios.