The Urban Wetlands A proposal for Southbank’s return to nature.
ANALYSIS
Urban Wetlands Site
Urban Wetlands Site
1864
Melbourne, 1836: An early view of Melbourne from the south of the Yarra From the State Library of Victoria's Pictures Collection.
2018 Over the span of 200 years, the effect of urbanisation on the Yarra River and its surrounding ecosytem is very apparent. Prior to settlement, the surrounding area was a plain grassland mosaic on the North and a freshwater wetland complex with riparian woodland, grassy woodland and a brackish wetland before the land was drained for industrial use during the late 1800s. The natural river flow has also been redirected to accomodate to the urban use, creating hard edged river banks without riparian zones.
CONCEPT
Water
Growling Grass Frog
Pedestrian
Programme
DESIGN INTENT The Urban Wetlands will return Southbank to its original ecological state, bringing back nature that creates a wildlife corridor for the Growling Grass Frog and enables opportunities for urban dwellers to reconnect with nature. The introduction of water bodies into the built environment would be done gradually by letting the water from the Yarra River to enter naturally through flooding into the redesigned Southbank Boulevard; encouraging nature to organically reclaim the man-made. Thus, the gradual process will allow both nature and the urban dweller to adapt to one another instead of interfering in an abrupt manner.
PROPOSAL: THE URBAN WETLANDS William St.
A
Urban Waterfront
Sandridge Bridge B
Wetland Corridor C
Yarra River
Growling Grass Frog Urban House
Wetland Trail
Legend Canopy Short open Vegetation with scattered tussocks and shrubs
Urban Grassland
Littoral Zone (emergent vegetation)
National Gallery of Victtoria
Permanent Shallow Zone (emergent vegetation) Deep Zone (at least 1.5m) Site Boundary Detailed Landscape Area
St Kilda Road Queen Victoria Gardens
0
10 20
40
60
120m
1:2000 on A3
Velenje City Center Pedestrian Zone Promenada
A staggering form is created to let the water into the urban waterfront area. This accomodates the dynamic process of the Yarra River and encourages the public to interact directly with the water.
Rega Leuven Ontwerpbureau Pauwels
ENOTA
Sint Maartenstraat 55, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Velenje, Slovenia.
The removal of the Red Stair Amphiteatre. Ground contour is manipulated to retain the entrance to the Crown casino, and to cut the wind from the Southbank Boulevard. Keeping the sense of enclosure in the area.
Several trees are removed to accomodate space for the wetland location. The decision is made based off research from the City of Melbourne Urban Forest where trees in this area are mostly plane trees with declining life expectancy. Furthermore, historically the area was not covered by tree canopies since through EVC data the area is classified as brackish wetlands with riparian scrubs and woodlands only occured along the edges of Yarra.
Kallang River-Bishan Park
Tree canopy is retained on the pavement area to aleviate the urban heat island effect. The retained trees are the ones on the South to allow direct sunlight on Winter and year round for the Growling Grass Frog.
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Singapore.
Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl
The wetlands is designed in accordance with The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning: Growling Grass Frog Masterplan for Melbourne’s Growth Corridors and Melbourne Water: Wetland Design Manual.
Perreux River Banks
Due to the minimal use of the area, the considerable overshadowing from the surrounding buildings and the data collected from the thermal comfort exercise (which stated that the area is cold throughout the day in the winter); the middle area of the Urban Wetlands is designed mainly to focus for the Growling Grass Frog. Users are encouraged to meet and gather on the East and West side of the street.
A walkable path encourages the urban dweller to walk into the designed grassy wetlands. Blurring the threshold between the urban and the nature.
BASE Landscape Architecture Perreux-sur-Marne , France.
Qunli National Urban Wetland Turenscape Qunli New District, Haerbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
A car free area that retains the tram system. This area is designed to be water sensitive, where the rainwater will flow into the ponds along the Urban Wetlands and finally into the Yarra River.
Edinburgh Gardens Raingarden GHD Pty Ltd Edinburgh Gardens: St Georges RoadFitzroy North, M e l b o u r n e , Australia
Hassett Park Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects , Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture Campbell Section 5, Campbell ACT, Australia
Urban Waterfront A
B
C
D
0 1 2
Section A A. The landscape accomodates the fluctuation of the Yarra River, promoting resilience and eliminating the hard edge prior to the intervention, creating a threshold from the natural to the man made. This landscaping also encourages large woody debris that creates habitat and slowing the bank’s current.
B. The steps allows the urban dwellers to take off their shoes and enjoy the water C. From the thermal comfort exercise data, the speed of the heat increase in Summer is reduced by introducing tree canopy where the pedestrian flow is low.
4
6m
1:250 on A3
D. The decking structure allows the Growling Grass Frog to move freely from an area to another; giving connectivity. Thus, the site would serve its purpose as a wildlife corridor. Additional detail would be discussed on the detailed plan and collage
Wetland Corridor Existing Site A
B
C
The trees on the Western edge of the street is retained as it protects the pedestrian from direct sunlight. However, trees on the Eastern edge of the street is removed to allow direct sunlight for the Growling Grass Frog’s basking requirement The dramatic height of the red stair is replicated as seen on the section cut
Section B
0 1 2
4
6m
1:250 on A3
The entrance to the Crown Casino’s car park is pushed back to allow more green space.
A. The existing restaurant that overflows onto the street. B. A shallow watered area is kept to allow connectivity for the Growling Grass Frog. C. The entrance to the Crown Casino. The contoured landscape allows people to circulate on top of the entrance.
Growling Grass Frog Urban House A
B
Section C 0 1 2
4
6m
1:250 on A3
A. Pedestrian crossing is kept as the main roads are kept to allow traffic to penetrate through some areas of the site. B. The main water feature slopes from the Wetland trail to the Urban Waterfront. Thus, the landscape is designed so that it would be lower compared to the current site level. The crossing is designed in accordance to the State of Victoria Department of Environment , Lands, Water and Planning: Growling Grass Frog Crossing Design Standards.
Wetland Trail Site Description
Precedent
While the other areas of the Urban Wetland is closed to the public, as they serve the purpose of being the core wetland for the Growling Grass Frog; beside the Urban Waterfront, The Wetland Trail will encourage the urban population to interact with the designed wetland. This is achieved through series of skywalk and decks that will penetrate the wetland.
Qunli National Urban Wetland Turenscape Qunli New District, Haerbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
The stormwater that is collected from the water sensitive designed streets would mainly enter to the Wetland Trail, then it would flow into the Yarra River.
River Forest Island
The landscape would allow ponding on dry Summers, cooling down the area during heatwaves, and encourages water to flow into the Yarra River on rainy seasons, discouraging flood. This creates a resilient site.
SWA Group (Xiao Zheng and Sean O’Malley) Changsha, Hunan Province, China
Urban Grassland Site Description The Urban Grassland is a boulevard designed to celebrate the grassy landscape of Australia. The Urban Grassland is designed as a part of the Urban Wetlands as that part of the landscape was a Plains Grassy Woodland according to the pre-1750 EVC map of Melbourne. The site would keep the tram access, however the boulevard will not include car access (unless for emergency vehicles). Water sensitive design will be implemented where stormwater would be directed to the wetland trail to flow through the Urban Werlands into the Yarra River.
Precedent Edinburgh Gardens Raingarden GHD Pty Ltd Edinburgh Gardens: St Georges Road- Fitzroy North, Melbourne, Australia
Hassett Park Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects , Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture Campbell Section 5, Campbell ACT, Australia
Grasslands Artist Linda Tegg, horticulturist John Delpratt and landscape architect Anthony Magen The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
DETAILED ARCHITECTURAL PLAN
Legend Exisiting Canopy Turf Existing Artwork Decking Work Boundary Normal Water Level Decking Outline Ground Contour 0
10
20
Section
40
80m
1:250 on A3
Deck Detail (not in Scale) Refuge includes soil cracks, fallen timber, debris and dense vegetation on low frequently flooded area. The woody debree also slows down the current from the Yarra River entering the inner pools of the Urban Wetlands.
The Growling Grass Frog spends most of its time on land and is highly mobile. Grassland provides habitat for foraging, dispersal, shelter and overwintering.
Submerged vegetation structures are important habitat for breeding as it provides site for egg laying and food for tadpoles.
Growling Grass Frogs are active throughout the day. On warmer months they can be seen basking out of water amongst vegetation or on rocks and logs.
Joist
Bearer
Perforated Steel
Perforated Steel decking will allow visual connectivity for the users and the vegetation. Furthermore, it allows the vegetation underneath to have access to direct sunlight and water. Riverbed
Deep Marsh
Ephemeral Batter to Shallow Marsh 0
10
Deep Marsh 20
Inner Pool 40
80m
1:250 on A3
DETAILED LANDSCAPE PLAN
0
Plant Schedule
10
20
Legend
ID
Quantity
Latin Name
Common Name Min Density
Wetland Zone
MelEri
4
Melaleuca ericifolia
Swamp Paperbark
0.2/m2
Ephemeral batter
CarApp
358
Carex appressa
Tall Sedge
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
CarTer
624
Carex tereticaulis
Basket Sedge
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
JunAmb
510
Juncus amabilis
Hollow Rush
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
JunFla
1176
Juncus flavidus
Yellow Rush
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
JunKra
890
Juncus kraussii
Sea Rush
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
JunPal
540
Juncus pallidus
Pale Rush
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
LomLon
195
Lomandra longifolia
Spiny Headed Matt-Rush
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
LomLon
506
Poa labillardierei
Common Tussock
6/m2
Ephemeral batter
BolFlu
176
Bolboschoenus fluviatilis
Tall Club-Rush
2/m2
Shallow marsh/Deep marsh
CycPro
176
Cycnogeton procerum
Water Ribbons
2/m2
Shallow marsh/Deep marsh
EleAcu
35
Eleocharisa acuta
Common Spike-rush
2/m2
Shallow marsh/Deep marsh
PotOch
27
Potemageton ochreatus
Blunt Pondweed
1/m2
Submerged marsh
ValAus
27
Vallisneria australis
Eel-grass
1/m2
Submerged marsh
Exisiting Canopy Turf Work Boundary Normal Water Level Decking Outline Ground Contour
40
80m
1:250 on A3