12 | Jasmax - Auckland T T Virginia Wright Revamp brings vibrancy to George St More seating, play spaces, planting, artworks, busking areas and making the four main blocks events-ready were all part of the brief. “The form of the paver represents the corner of the kete, or food-gathering basket, and the name ‘poti’ links back to a landmark point in Otago harbour and the original genesis of the naming of Ōtepoti.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Architecture and design practice Jasmax, which has been at the forefront of sustainable design in the Pacific for 60 years, has recently completed an important urban project in the South Island’s second-largest city. Jasmax operates from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Dunedin, Queenstown, Auckland and Christchurch, from where senior landscape architect and urban designer Edward Jolly led the team that successfully delivered the Revitalisation of George Street project in Dunedin. Edward joined Jasmax 11 years ago, after 10 years working in urban and landscaping design through the UK, Europe and Asia, and a brief stint for the Auckland Council. George St is Ōtepoti Dunedin’s main retail street and dates back well over 100 years. “It was a major undertaking to replace or rehabilitate infrastructure at or beyond the end of its life, such as the stormwater, sewage and wastewater systems,” Edward says. “The old stormwater system was built using brick barrel down the middle of the street over 100 years ago, so it was an opportunity to build back better with an outcome more appropriate for a modern context,” he says. Along with the infrastructure was the imperative to challenge the convenience of online shopping: to provide a diverse and vibrant street environment that would attract people to a multitude of different activities, thereby bringing more people into the city centre, to stay longer, and potentially spend more, to the benefit of local businesses. More seating, play spaces, planting, artworks, busking areas and making the four main blocks events-ready were all part of the brief. Automatically rising bollards can now close off the street when events are held without the City Council having to go through the expensive and lengthy process of closing the street to traffic, whether it’s for a capping parade, a fashion parade or any other community event. Giant see-saws were built to encourage families to come and relax and have some fun, as well as a smaller one, and an accessible see-saw, although all are calibrated to cater for ‘kids’ of whatever age. Mana Whenua, through their organisation Aukaha, were brought in as a project partner from the outset, which resulted in a “beautiful way of weaving parts of their narrative through the landscape, referencing that local identity within the materiality,” says Edward “ An example of this was the development of the ‘poti’ paver, which is bespoke to Dunedin, and for which the Dunedin City Council hold the rights, he explains. “The form of the paver represents the corner of the kete, or food-gathering basket, and the name ‘poti’ links back to a landmark point in Otago harbour and the original genesis of the naming of Ōtepoti. The unusually shaped mould for the poti paver was fabricated in Canada, and the pavers were manufactured by Alexandra-based Viblock using black rock from the Otago Peninsula, golden sand from Southland, and a golden aggregate from a local quarry, among other materials. The paving was then laid with patterning that references the patiki (flounder), and aramoana (rippling water): a successful meld of functionality with art and culture. Equally fundamental to the project’s success was the need to avoid unintended consequences such as traffic jams, or reduced access. Striking a balance between those that wanted pedestrian only, and those that advocated for status quo, the street remains accessible to traffic at 10 kph. All one-hour car parks were removed and some 30-minute car parks were changed to short stay (five minutes), along with a 200% increase in disabled parking, thus preserving and arguably enhancing accessibility to the various businesses along the street, which was their primary concern. Traffic flows have also been altered to make it easier to access the four car park buildings, offering hundreds of parks in the adjoining Filleul and Great King streets. It’s a project the entire team is proud of, and although it’s early days for understanding the long-term benefits, the fact that retail giant MECCA has recently opened on George St means they believe the area has the footfall and the vibrancy associated with good business. It bodes well for the future. Cnr Timaru & Teviot St’s, Andersons Bay, Dunedin | P: 03 455 1579 | nichols.co.nz Open 7 days: 8.30am - 5pm. Dunedin • Invercargill • Cromwell Your leading independent garden retailer in Otago and Southland GARDEN CONSULTATIONS • LANDSCAPE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION We are proud to support Jasmax
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