Stories of Waterloo - Lisa Shao, Vania Alverina, Yuhan Li

sto r ie s o f waterl oo 1

Alverina.V. Bench next to Matavai tower. 2021

Shao.L. View from Bench. 2021

Shao.L. View from Bench. 2021

Alverina.V. New Bench. 2021

a wate r l o o sto r y the b e g i n ni ng

There were few seating locations that were decent for obser ving the waterloo tower. One of the few we chose the first time we visited the site was a bench nex t to the Matavai tower, overlooking most of the western side of the park. The three of us would sit on that bench in attempts to reduce our ‘new ’ presence and let the place fill with activities as we blend ourselves within the site. After several visits we decided to obser ve at a closer distance, at the center of the site where most activities occur; the countless pedestrians, people and residents that pass through the central pathway. There were two options, a bench shaded by a large tree which indicated a possible scenario of getting a bird dropping or to sit at a bench nex t to the basketball court between two shorter trees – obviously we chose the latter one, and from there many things happened where we learned the unique activities and inside stories of some residents and made ourselves a stor y to tell about Waterloo.

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‘In Chinese culture we would refer to people as uncle or aunty, elder sister or brother, grandpa or grandma. As a result, we are able to refer to someone without knowing their names instead by their perceived age and gender. This was the case with most of the Chinese Asian community we encountered at Waterloo.’

Alverina.V. Taking photo of aunties dancing behind from a far without being noticed 2. 2021

Alverina.V. Taking photo of aunties dancing without being noticed 1. 2021

squ a re d a nc i ng

We would occasionally disperse to obser ve the types of pedestrians and activities of residents however on that particular day we obser ved the site from the usual basketball bench. A middleaged man and a couple of younger men shared the basketball court on one end each, when two aunties entered the basketball court. The aunties started preparing something and spoke to the basketball elder man when another grandma approached us introducing herself as a 92-yearold grandma, healthy and fit. Sharing a brief moment of who we were and why we came here, she asked us if we would like to join the aunties who began dancing right behind us and left to follow the music coming from a small blue speaker. There at the court were a few aunties, who waved their hands up and down and stepped sideways and back in tune with the melody. We were reluctant and shy however fascinated at what they were doing , tr ying our best to take photos without being noticed as this was a unique occasion – So we gave in to their invitation and joined the square dancing.

Shao.L. Our first square dancing. 2021

Alverina.V. Our Second square dancing. 2021

The location of the basketball court is open and visible from both the west and east entr y of the site. We obser ved how it attracted a number of audiences who were residents and several who were pedestrians walking past the central pathway who would keep a constant view of the ‘performance’ with some taking pictures. The basketball court became a dynamic place more so than what it was meant for, hence we were inspired to propose an open square or plaza as a possible appropriate improvement towards the park for our waterloo proposal.

This was the stor y of our first dancing session, and from there we came to learn more. During our second square dancing session, rain started pouring in the middle of our dance and we anticipated the weather because we each brought umbrellas. All the dancing ladies, grandma and a couple of grandpas scattered and slowly walked back to their apartments. In that incident, we were able to meet with an elder couple as we sug gested we shelter them and walk them back home.

Alverina.V. Our third square dancing. 2021

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Shao.L. Morning basketball with Mr.Zhang. 2021

A bse nt Ta i c hi During that brief heav y pour amid our square-dancing session, we had the opportunity of sheltering a Chinese elderly couple with our umbrellas, where we spoke about ourselves as their curiosity prodded how us young ones came about at Waterloo. To our surprise the grandpa invited us for a Taichi exercise the nex t day, ‘come tomorrow! I will lead a Taichi exercise early in the morning at 8, the same place where we did square-dancing!’- The grandpa unfortunately did not come… and we have never met the couple since.

Realising there may not be Taichi, we sat and obser ved the site at our usual bench, with the occasional individual strolls to obser ve activities around corners of the site that were hidden from our point of view, while also strug gling to take speed photos without looking suspicious – though we doubt we succeeded, being a new face at a place of people familiar with one another we were definitely an unusual presence... Though since we came for the Taichi and stayed to obser ve, we had the rather amusing exchange with another resident of Waterloo who we have seen a number of times.

The B a sketba l l ‘el der m a n’ That day we were watching the usual ‘basketball elder man’ as we identified him based on our couple of encounters, shooting basketball as usual without dribbling the ball. We would often see him strug gle to shoot the ball inside the hoop however admired his shooting strength for his perceived age. The other day, his ball got stuck in the hoop which he solved by throwing a small branch to nudge the ball down - we silently hoped it would happen today too so that we would have an opportunity to speak with him; and it did. We took off our shoes and struck the ball down and from that point on conversation flowed.

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We discovered that his name was Mr.Zhang , as we introduced ourselves as students of University of Sydney studying architecture. Mr.Zhang was ver y friendly and told us some stories about himself, while we took turns shooting the basketball. He spoke about how he came to Sydney 30 years ago and how he loved the city and revealed that he was taking care of his mother who recently got out of hospital for her broken leg which needed care. It was also because Mr.Zhang knew many residents, that we learned about the absent grandpa and Taichi which meant to happen that morning. He revealed that the grandpa’s health has been deteriorating , suffering from a certain disability due to his old age. We spoke for quite a while and Mr.Zhang came to know that we were simply obser ving the waterloo site for our architecture degree when another elder man carr ying what appeared to be his grocer y came to greet Mr. Zhang.

M r.Zhan g ’s F r ie nd Mr. Zhang introduced us to his friend as architecture students conducting obser vations at Waterloo. Within our group, some of us can speak in Chinese and coincidentally Mr. Zhang ’s friend who would only speak in Chinese shared the same hometown with one of us, both coming from Shanghai (Lisa). Seeing how we have introduced ourselves plenty to his friend, Mr. Zhang kindly sug gested if we would like to see what it was like inside the tower because his friend lives at Matavai. Mr.Zhang ’s friend also expressed his willingness going so far as to invite us inside his room to show the beautiful view from his 27th floor room. We were elated. We could not deny that our ultimate objective was to also be able to obser ve inside the Tower, because all that were made available to us were second hand accounts, short videos and photos which did not show clear images of the Tower ’s interiors. Expressing our gratitude we followed Mr.Zhang ’s friend into Matavai Tower.

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I n si de the Towe r wi th a f ri e ndl y uncle Entering the Tower felt surreal, we could only peak and see residents come and go but being inside was different. We ner vously greeted the security guard who seemed war y of us and scurried through the hall trailing behind the uncle as he greeted two residents. Among the three of us, one or two would be the ‘communicator ’ and the other would quickly take photos, such as the lobby floor, entrance to private outdoor space and any features which described the life within the Tower. Shari ng a brief conversation with the two friendly residents the elevator finally arrived, it was relatively spacious with an inbuilt bench most likely for elderlies and a poster stating free lunch displayed at the elevator wall. The uncle pressed level 27 and finally introduced himself to us as Mr.Hou, we spoke briefly about the free lunch and the residents of the tower as the elevator rose. The elevator directly opened to show a bright common room with various potted plants and we knew to swiftly set aside our prior impressions about the place.

It turns out al l the potted plants present were owned by Mr. Hou. It was his attempt to decorate the room, he said, while also continuing his pastime of tending to plants at the common whic h had the most sunlight. The panoramic view was indeed incredible - slightly blurred by the dust on the window glass, you could see the harbour and Sydney Tower Eye ahead, the Redfern station just below and to the left our U niversity ’s famous Quadrangle. He then led us through a door separating the common room and the hallway leading to the resident ’s private rooms. The hallway oddly smelled familiar like a hotel, clean and well maintained. We saw what looked like metal hand grips for elderlies along the hallway, as we walked past several doors left and right, following Mr.Hou as he led us to his room at a corner, he left the door open wide and we entered.

The room walls were painted bright coral shade matched with a grayish dark green carpet, a lovely room was what we thought, though the ceiling may not comply with current building standards. Directly in front of the entr y was Mr.Hou’s room, fitting a single king-sized bed with a built-in wardrobe on the side. Nex t to it was a window with a small ebony table where Mr.Hou’s smaller potted plants basked in sunlight. The bedroom also had a bathroom inside, painted blue and relatively spacious, it was fitted specifically for elderlies. The shower pod had handles and a small seat, and on the other side was a washing machine and a large sink. We took pictures while we followed Mr.Hou listening to his explanation of his room’s layout. In another room, the kitchen was enclosed by walls with the living a nd dining room being an open plan; Mr.Hou even fitted another bedroom nex t to the kitchen wall.

We could clearly feel how satisfied and happy he was about his home, from his expression and way of letting his front door open wide for neighbours to see or even enter; perhaps it is his character.

Obser ving the space, we thought the kitchen could use some upgrade but ever y thing that was required was there. We thought about stripping parts of the interior and redesigning it, but nothing could truly justif y why we would have to replace what was already available to the residents for what we deemed was better.

Mr.Hou also guided us to the shared laundr y room. It was clean but quite small, there was only a single washing machine and a small dr ying area. He noted how the dr ying space was often used to dr y bed sheets but not clothing due to privacy matters – we unanimously agreed, you would never want to hang your under wear in public that ’s for sure. Nex t to the laundr y was a garbage chute room uniquely ventilated mechanically so it did not smell. We then lingered in front of Mr.Hou’s room, politely thanking him for letting us strangers into his room. Mr.Hou sug gested that we go up and down the elevator to see ever y floor if we wanted and went back into his room, still left open. We looped a round the flo or and took photos. There were supposedly 2 more floors above and we were at level 27 a s such we decided to check the few upper floors left and ascended through the fire escape stair well.

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Alverina.V. Journey Inside Matavai with Mr.Hou. 2021

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C o mm o n room s We ascended to level 28 and discovered that they had no common room, the hallway was lit by down lig hts and there were more rooms on the floor compared to level 27. We realised that there were different room types across the tower, studios, 1 to 2-bedroom types likely to accommodate different family types, singles, couples and as obser ved elderlies. Ascending up to level 29, we were able to obser ve the common room, it was utilised and organized differently than the previous common room which displayed plants. Here, the common room was packed with unidentifiable items but it was clear that bicycle storage was a concern because descending from level 29 towards level 26 to level 19, we found several common rooms utilised to park resident ’s

LEVEL 29

LEVEL 26

LEVEL 25

LEVEL 24

LEVEL 23

LEVEL 22

LEVEL 20

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bicycles. We swiftly took pictures of the common room and began our descent to level 26 .

Descending floors one by one, we obser ved how different the hallways were material wi se and how uniquel y the common rooms were utilised. We also examined several issues the resident ’s may be facing based on the organization and objects present within the common room. For example, level 26 appeared to prioritise privacy as it installed a sculptural screen in front of its common room. Level 25 and 23 had a similar layout of sofas and potted plants which did not indicate interactive purposes; rather for individual rests, it also experienced complications of stains on carpet from watering plants. Level 24 was also yet another unique common room, packed with furniture, it appeared to be a gathering space with round dining table sofas directed to face one another and a bookshelf at the side which sug gests prolonged use of space besides resting dwell time. The most properly managed and organised room however would be level 20, appearing like a celebration room. The room showed how shared interests among residents of the floor may bring a common room t hat displays a clearer theme. Throughout the journey we did not encounter any residents, however we felt uneasy about going deeper into the bottom floors and we had a decent sample to work with, when we decided to skip several floors a nd see what level 10 looked like. This time we took the elevator from level 19, right as we were about to leave the elevator on level 10, an older resident man who saw us entering Matavai earlier stopped us thinking we were heading back, he boarded the elevator and we knew our obser vation ended there. We joined the resident who was smiling down the lobby taking several last photos as record, indeed the security did not seem pleased as he asked ‘you done? ’ While the older resident man lingered and followed us out making sure we did not come back.

That was the first and last time we were able to enter Matavai, and on that sunny day we left with a new perspective; a brighter im pression. Leaving the waterloo, a fundamental conclusion made upon our closer obser vation of the tower was that they were not empty. They were full, resided by real people, a place that had a 10 year long waiting list and it stayed in our minds that a minimal inter vention would be a key principle in response to our first-hand experience and obser vation.

Alverina.V. Matavai Common Rooms 29-19. 2021

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De si g n Dr i vers

Obser vations of our encounters and stories given by some of the resident ’s living in Waterloo, what we discovered was a much more vibrant portrayal of the environment and life at Waterloo than our preconception. We wanted them to speak about the place themselves, without letting our interest or prior knowledge affect their response about the Towers or what we would do to it. What came out from our small conversations with several residents was how they valued their home, the opportunities it brought and we valued their opinions that were different from an outsider ’s point of view.

Based on the interactions and greetings we experienced, the residents displayed curiosity and a strong willingness to interact with the new and people of different backgrounds and age groups. However, the domain does not facilitate or provide opportunities for residents to interact with the diverse public. Therefore, we concluded that the Waterloo domain may benefit from the introduction of new facilities that would increase the dwell time within the public domain and introduce the growth of a new demographic to Waterloo.

We consider the mundane activities of people within Waterloo; the diversity of culture and activities is what makes Waterloo unique and complete - there was a solid foundation for opportunities for a rich community. We wanted to build upon it through a revitalisation of the ground plane and of the existing common rooms and living spaces, to give the residents more opportunities for socialisation both within the community and with the neighbourhood, to enrich and diversif y their experiences, and to give them the opportunity to tell the stories of Waterloo.

lisa xiao-lei shao | 470254491 vania alverina | 470339259 yuhan li | 4 7 0 4 0 8 2 2 3 12

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table of contents a wate r lo o sto r y wate r lo o ’s d e m o graph ic de s ign pr inciple s

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phase one: tower extensions kineto s co pe & ape r t ure s co nst r uct io n p ro ce s s

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phase two: the grounds t he gro u nds t he waym ar k f it n e s s + playgro und is land s bas ket b all co ur t + p laza we av in g garde n t he archive s co m m un it y h ub ex ist in g + new s ite us age analys is s e ct io n s | archive s + co m m un it y h ub sto r ie s o f wate r lo o

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54 58 62 66 70 76 82 88 92 96

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community enrichment To promote community participation and opportunity for socialisation by creating spaces that make people stay and linger, as well as facilities that support diverse activities and lifestyles of the residents and neighbourhood communities.

diversification To rejuvunate the community through encouraging a populace with a diverse background to engage with the Waterloo community, by providing a variety of social spaces on site which accommodate the needs of different age groups.

design principles

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accessibility

minimal impact

To maximise accessible spaces for elderly and disabled residents, the inter vention proposes additional paved spaces for elderly activity, as well as maintaining all public spaces on the same level.

In support of the principles of aging in place, to ensure the residents do not have to move out during the course of construction and that there would be little impact on their daily routines.

In response to these issues, we developed the 4 design principles to guide the design.

Our strategy mainly targets shared public spaces such as the common rooms and the ground plane to maximise effect and minimise inter vention. This construction process on site is further accelerated through the use of prefab modular elements for tower additions.

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phase one:

tower ex tensi ons

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kinetoscopes and apertures The first phase of the project introduces modules as additions to the tower facades. Kinetoscopes that expand the common rooms, and Arpertures that ex tend individual living spaces.

These ex tensions aim to reinvigorate the existing common rooms and introduce more opportunities for enriched socialisation through improving upon the existing living conditions, including solving daylighting , view and spatial issues. Throughout the process, minimal impact is maintainedon the residents through a streamlined prefabrication process, where residents are also free to take part to express their stories.

Showcasing the new common room modules as a featured change within the site, the utilisation of materiality and surfaces to exhibit this change provides an opportunity to represent a comprehensive and inclusive identity and character of the waterloo site and people which is currently lacking , evident in the old murals and the anchor that celebrates a colonial stor y unrelated to the lives of present and future residents.

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kinetoscope unit

aperture unit

kinetoscopes The Kinetoscopes tackle the issue of poor daylighting , views and lack of space in the common rooms. These modules ex tend the existing common rooms, with openings protruding out of the building rotated in different directions according to the daylighting and view conditions of the current floor, with balcony additions and skylights on top of each module. On the lower floors, the kinetoscopes are rotated away from the lower trees and towards the public realm, bringing better views and opportunities for visual connections between to enrich the social experience of the rooms.

The kinetoscope brings the common rooms to life with new typologies with lofted spaces, balcony spaces, and so on. In addition, not only do they ser ve the residents within, but also offer a peek into the building from the outside. Transparent concrete - litracon, is used as the skin for the modules, projecting silhouettes of the ongoings within and embellishing them with decals of nature as light penetrates through the material. kinetoscope instances 28

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typical floor plan - balcony unit 1:100

typical floor plan - balcony unit

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t y p i c a l f l o o r p l a n - l o f t eudn ui tn i t

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Tree shown (left&down to right&down) • Eucalyptus, Jacaranda,Eucalyptus (Australia) • Baobab Tree (Africa) • Banyan (India) • Frangipani (Laos) • Penduculate Oak (Denmark) • Willow Tree (Ukraine) • Olive Tree (Greece) • Rhododendron (Nepal) • Maple Tree (Canada)

making your mark With the thought of reviving the existing murals that are outdated and even offensive to current residents, windows decal stickers featuring cultural trees and flowers have been introduced to represent the rich and diverse culture and identity of the residents, while remaining ubiquitous to a resolute representation.

examples of window decals 32

The versatility of the have the freedom decals they want, as construction process

stickers means that the residents to customise and choose the part of their contribution to the and expressing their stories.

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making your mark The ex tended slabs also provide an opportunity for an artistic flair and character for the residents to tell their stories. With the use of stamped concrete, residents can take part in the concrete pouring process by adding elements of their choosing , these are then showcased to the public from the bottom of the modules, much like a galler y of artwork from the ground plane.

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l evel 2 8 lacked a clear organisation of storage such as an accessible parking place for bicycles. The new proposal introduces a customisable wall shelving system that organises a displayable storage for bicycles.

l evel 2 8 There is no common room, as such level above and below has larger ex tension kinetoscope modul es

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common room rejuvenation Looking into several floors. We also proposed changes within the common rooms addressing issues identified while adhering to our principle of minimal impact. The proposal maintains resident ’s ability to customise the space which is a unique characteristic of life within the existing common rooms. The design also reimagines existing objects such as the murals and furniture within its new setting.

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l evel 2 8 A resident owned numerous potted plants placed on the ground, staining the carpet floors, the proposal places the potted plants in the introduced shelving system made of water resistant materials which is also accessible for watering

l evel 2 8 has an issue of privacy, as the common rooms are exposed and clearly visible upon entr y to the floor exiting the elevator . We proposed the use of reflective curtains as a screen for privacy, reducing glare from windows or retention of heat

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common room programmed typologies in order to invigorate and encourage more social interactions within the common rooms, some program typologies have been introduced with people overseeing them to both motivate and structure the activities. These include a shared lounge room, media room, fitness spaces and a sky garden all which are accessible for the residents use. (refer to nex t 3 pages)

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Noticing how Indoor planting is a popular hobby for the residents a indoor garden space at the highest floor brings garden loving residents together

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Lofted spaces can combine spaces with similar acoustical production such as spaces of silence and focus or noise and conversations 44

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apertures The Aperture module provides a bay window attachment to individual living spaces, corresponding to the idea of bringing the inside out by ex tending and framing the window set beyond the facade to the foreground.

The form maintains the original look of the facade, keeping the iconic look of the current building , whilst still offering a small bay to for residents to sit on or to place their personal possessions The module also includes a fix ture for laundr y to make up for the much lacked laundr y space of the apartments.

The view of different coloured clothing and personal possessions captured on the facade expresses stories of life of the resident within and brings life to the brutalist concrete facade 1:10

aperture section 46

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module plan detail

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const ru ct i o n p ro c ess The modularisation of Kinetoscopes and Apertures allows prefabrication and ease of installation, with minimal impact on the residents by eliminating the need to relocate them throughout the process of construction.

The process is simple. Concrete elements are poured and decorated off site, with residents participating in the decorative process.

These are then assembled to create the modules, which are then transported and attached to a newly added steel frame with brackets on the facade of the building.

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phase two: the grounds

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the grounds The Grounds aims to tackle issues of the existing public realm through the relocation of existing facilities and the introduction of new facilities to improve accessibility and visual connections of spaces, and invite more activity from both the residents and the neighbourhood for a more enriched and diverse community.

The ground plane is first paved and flattened, with the existing walkway that cuts through the site widened for accessibility, increasing opportunities for social interaction between residents and the neighbourhood, and visual connections, creating a public realm.

A multitude of trees have also been removed from the existing site to improve daylighting conditions and

the grounds - ground plan

remove social stigmatisation, as “blind spots” were being created in a supposedly open, public space.

Some trees have still been left behind to enhance the greener y and become markers for spaces, provide shading and still provide some level of privacy for specific spaces.

This public realm includes new spaces for a more diverse range of social interactions, such as a hub, a cafe, and various outdoor seating and activity spaces to invite more social activity on the grounds prompting the public to slow down, meander, and learn the stories of the people.

An archipelago of fitness and playground islands are also introduced to encourage intergenerational bonding between the residents and the younger generation, whether that be the children or the parents. The basketball court has also been moved and an additional paved area has been added for outdoor activities such as square dancing.

In addition, the new librar y - the archives and galler y can hold oral histories or stor y telling events available for the public and residents, to bring awareness of the past and future of the Waterloo residence.

The existing shared garden nex t to the towers are then elevated and relocated nex t to the towers to establish a level of privacy, better accessibility and daylighting conditions.

the grounds - roof plan 56

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the archive

fitness + playground islands

communal gardens

weaving garden cafe

community hub communal gardens

the broadwalk

the waymark basketball court + plaza

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the waymark Located at the ver y centre of the site, the waymark performs as a “way finding marker ”, to the site, and is a place of gathering and dispersing.

The existing pathway cutting across the Waterloo site is a popular route for the public. It is a source of new people and identities where the waymark aims to connect, by performing as an information kisok - showcasing to the public locations of new facilities proposed, as well as the histor y and activities held within the site providing a reason for the public to stop by without interfering with the traffic, additionally it can also increase the opportunity of public to linger at waterloo and interact with the residents.

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The waymark features layerings of vertical falling Lotus berthelotii plants, meeting with the climbing marble pothos plants. The lotus berthelotii plants would grow above the soil platter/ gutter which has a filter below to transfer water down through the gutter chains, which also functions as a support fo the marble photos plants to climb. The stream of plants would enclose the Waymark, a space of information leaving the open sky that captures the towers and boardwalk entries.

C o nc e pt u a l se c ti on perspec ti ve through way mark

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waym ar k ex teri o r el evati o n

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fitness + playground islands The fitness and playground islands is a group of soft paved spaces that feature playground equipment and outdoor fitness equipment. Both programs are integrated to encourage people of different generations to come together and interact, thus promoting intergenerational bonding and a more enriched and diverse social community.

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fitness + playground islands 66

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basketball court + plaza the new paved plaza provides an additional space for outdoor activities, such as the currently ongoing daily square dancing , or other outdoor sports such as taichi or basketball.

The space is located near one of the entries to the site to open up opportunities with the neighbouring communities to encourage a more diverse community.

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basketball court + plaza 70

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weaving garden cafe The weaving garden cafe provides a space for members of the neighbourhood to stop by on their way through the site to and from work or university, or picking up their children, who they can watch playing in the new playgrounds with a cup of coffee. Simultaneously, it is a space for the residents to meet and chat, and is envisioned as a point of interaction between the residents and the public.

To weave, a motion which portrays and represent the purpose of the cafe as a space of connection and interaction between the residents and public. The ceiling plants and steel structure, interlaced with pendant lights and mist sprinklers were arranged to highlight this notion.

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C o nc e pt u a l south to nor th se c t ion detail of weav ing garden

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C o nce pt u al e ast to we st s e ct io n detail o f we av ing ga rden

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weaving garden cafe 76

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the archives The Archive is a connected librar y/galler y space that acts as a record for the histor y of waterloo. In addition to being a public space for the neighbourhood community, the archive displays art works by local artists and residents, and holds oral histor y sessions where residents share their autobiographical histor y with Waterloo with the community. In essence, it provides an opportunity for the residents to communicate their stories to the public.

The building also features a green roof with skylights for daylighting , with one of the communal gardens located on the rooftop

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the archive 80

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the archive rooftop garden 82

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community hub While the Archives provides a place to exhibit, express and display, the community hub provides a place for the residents of the community to come together, organize, gather and create. It involves an open space with flexible divisions that can be organized to form leisure, meeting , workshop, or dining spaces for community lunches and markets.

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community hub 86

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community hub rooftop garden 88

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section a - the archive 94

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section b - community hub 96

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tower facade

common rooms level 29

common rooms level 27

stories of waterloo These elements of inter vention together allow the realization of the concept of bringing waterloo inside out to display the stories of waterloo, reactivating the public realm and destigmatising its public image.

common rooms level 26

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On the micro scale, the modular common rooms and balcony additions physically projects the lives hidden behind the tower ’s facade out to the public, giving a sense of life and vibrancy to the stoic, brutalist concrete facades.

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plaza

community hub

the archive

stories of waterloo On the macro scale, the widened broadwalk opens up the site to the public, formalizing the traffic flow and public access, and in conjunction with the addition and alteration of social spaces, rejuvinates the public realm and reconnects the site with its neighbourhood. fitness islands

weaving garden cafe

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Open basketball courts, exercise spaces, and paved activity areas accommodate the existing activities of residents and communities, with additional gathering spaces inviting public participation on site.

Socially, our design supports the discussion and creative environments within the community and people of waterloo through the combination of the community hub as a generative space, and the archives as a vessel for expression and stor y-telling , which records and contemplates the histor y and future of the Waterloo e state .

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