We were responsible for integrating the new facility with the surrounding carparks, bowling club and new Green, Tennis Courts and Rugby club. The design included wide paved and planted areas around the building, incorporating seating and other furniture elements.  A new playground was constructed along with a fitness equipment area.

Extensive planting of exotic and native trees connected with the surrounding neighbourhood and trees planted in the vegetated drainage swales helped reduce the scale of the carpark surfacing.

A comprehensive design for the Park upgrade was undertaken in early 2000.  The philosophy adopted incorporated new pathways and a play environment that allowed for a range of activities distributed around the core sportsfields, so that children and adults could have different experiences depending on their age around the entire park perimeter. 

A flying fox was created through a stand of mature Oaks to give the elevated adventure experience in a woodland setting. A petanque court and picnic area were also provided. The sports changing rooms and public toilets were upgrade with feature colour panels and a brighter paint system with overhead pergola.

This park celebrates the dawning of the new millennium. The design layout and materials are referenced and built on local history, businesses and its special character.

Key features include: A water feature with a stone rill conveys water to the ‘boney river bed’. Brick paving and fencing reference the former hall and local brickworks. A stand of oregans indicate forestry and a grove of native beech trees proximity to the southern alps. Cube seats in the play space incorporate historic images. A bronze time-line sculpture relates to the railway lines that serviced the town and adds poetry expressive of the local character.

The design references were taken from the historic use of the nearby areas as an air force base.  The idea was to create a space that gave some height as a viewing platform.  The space allowed for various play activities including a climbing wall, stainless steel tubes for a slide and small fort. Colourful and informative feature cube seats were incorporated with photo images provided by the air force.

A short pathway was developed to link with a new half basketball court to extend play opportunities for different age groups.

All aspects of the development of the Park including the design and installation of the changing rooms and public toilets, infrastructure, carparks and hard and soft landscape elements were project managed by us.

The park required a sports facility, with carparking and multiple pathways through the centre of the Park. We adopted an ‘overland’ approach to capture and filter stormwater from the building and carpark areas through vegetated swales. The swales were incorporated into the play environment and similarly excavated material formed an observation mound.  Extensive tree planting provided screening for residents and a dramatic landscaped setting for the park.  Stone-filled cube seats and gabion baskets added interest to the space.

As landscape architect and project manager for grounds development from 1998 to 2009, we were fortunate to be involved with a broad range of development work at the Park. The ever-evolving Master Planning work provided a general framework for development of the swimming pool and hydroslide, the cricket oval with its relocated pavilion and the upgraded Ascot recreational fields.

Road layouts and carparking was reorganised to improve legibility and pedestrian access while making better connections to existing spaces. Pathways were developed around the central water feature connecting to perimeter fitness tracks and other facilities. 

This district park on the edge of town using leased NZ Rail land provides linkages to the shopping centre, schools, residential areas and the recreational grounds. The design accommodates spaces for all sorts of activities both passive and active. Three spatial units were developed.  The eastern space for youth play includes a half-basketball court, flying fox, swings and a small oval for casual games with backstop fencing.

The central space with a grove of mature birch and water race incorporate picnic tables and multiple bridge crossings to build on the network of tracks and paths that provide interesting experiences for people cycling and walking through the western space and beyond.