City’s parks and public spaces lauded at landscape awards

Two of Sydney’s much-loved parks and public spaces have claimed top prizes at NSW’s landscape industry awards, which all up delivered six awards for City of Sydney projects.

Sydney Park at St Peters and the Napier Street Reserve in Paddington both won the gold prizes in their categories at the 2015 LNA Master Landscapers Association.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City was committed to creating parks and public spaces that delighted the community, while also showcasing excellence in design and construction.

“The Sydney Park wetlands projects and Napier Street Reserve are two fine examples of how good design and landscaping can transform our public places and make them more enjoyable for residents, city workers and visitors,” the Lord Mayor said.

“I congratulate the City’s project teams and the contractors that worked on these projects – they should be proud of what they have achieved and see their designs and work stand the test of time.”

The Sydney Park wetlands project uses scenic cascades to create one of the largest stormwater harvesting systems in Australia, while also creating a haven for native frogs and birds and encouraging bush regeneration.

The Sydney Park project won three awards for contractor Design Landscapes: a gold award for best commercial sustainable landscapes project, a silver for best commercial civil project over $1 million, and a silver for best open space parklands.

The Napier Street Reserve upgrade includes large paved areas and beautiful landscaped gardens that replaced the dusty surface that previously sat beneath fig trees near the UNSW Art & Design campus.

The reserve upgrade won two awards for its contractors, Hargraves Urban: a gold award for best commercial civil project and the prestigious Graham Ross Commercial Award.

The landscaping by Hargraves Urban surrounding artist Tony Albert’s Yininmadyemi artwork for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diggers at Hyde Park North won the bronze Local Council Government Award.

2015 LNA Landscape Excellence Award winners:

Gold award: Commercial Civil Project, valued from $250,000 to $1 million
Napier Street Reserve, Paddington – Hargraves Urban

Gold award: Sustainable Landscapes Commercial
Sydney Park, St Peters – Design Landscapes

Silver award: Commercial Civil, over $1 million
Sydney Park, St Peters – Design Landscapes

Silver award: Open Space Parklands Open Value
Sydney Park, St Peters – Design Landscapes

Bronze award: Local Council Government Award
Yininmadyemi, Hyde Park South – Hargraves Urban

Graham Ross Commercial Award
Napier Street Reserve, Paddington – Hargraves Urban