Banjo Park, Smiths Lane
Inspired by Indigenous narratives of seasonal change, Banjo Park is the first of seven parks ASPECT Studios is delivering for the Smiths Lane development in Melbourne’s emerging suburb of Clyde North. At Smiths Lane, ASPECT Studios and Mirvac have devised a site-wide design approach focused on connecting residents and the public with the site’s natural systems and unique qualities of place.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Bunurong Country
- Client Mirvac
- Location Clyde North, Victoria, Australia
- Year 2019- ongoing
The site-wide design approach is informed by a ‘bio-cultural’ narrative, developed in collaboration with the site’s Traditional Owners. The ‘seven parks for seven seasons’ concept explores the cycle of the Kulin Nation calendar, with one season selected as a design driver for each of the parks within Smiths Lane.
The design of Banjo Park was inspired by the landscapes of the Cardinia Creek catchment, and echoes Porneet season, a wet time when tadpoles become frogs. This is revealed through the design of a custom play tunnel that interprets varying stages of the frog’s life cycle.
Winding across the mounded landscape to connect the two play zones, it offers increasingly challenging play opportunities, linking together the processes of children’s physical development with that of a tadpole’s metamorphosis.
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An open lawn area, picnic facilities, shade structures and toilets with changing facilities invite visitors to gather, relax and play. At maturity, the diverse tree plantings selected for their climate resilience will provide substantial canopy and comfort.
- TEAM Tract Consultants (Urban Design), WSP (Civil & Structural Engineering), Aquatic One (Hydraulic Engineering), Morris Goding Access Consulting, Play DMC, LJM Construction (Contractor)
- PHOTOGRAPHY Dianna Snape
