Optimizing Nature: Enhancing Townhomes with Tree-lined Boulevards and Creekside Amenity
Tallowwood
The Gap | Brisbane | Queensland | Australia
project team
Developer | Devcorp
Engineer | Wood and Grieve
Civil Contractor | All Roads
Shire | Brisbane City Council
Maximising the waterway corridor boundary, the majority of the individual town-homes will have a tree-lined boulevard on one aspect, a with rear amenity aspect facing the creek on the other.
This site has significant overland flow constraints. This required a large amount of engineering works combined with ecological works to satisfy Brisbane City Council’s concerns.
In addition to the tree-lined boulevard, there is a communal recreation space with terrace stairs, plinth stone retaining and seating, feature site signage and lighting. Also, an impressive mature Ficus tree is to be retained as the primary landscape feature.
A bridge to the centre of the site will be lined with overhead streetlights selected for their unique design. Specifications of the light fittings minimize energy usage while decorative pavement finishes will identify pedestrian walkways and access points.
Other landscape features include:
- hardy succulent species selections
- feature flowering trees to streetscape nodes
- rear yard landscapes to each townhome.
Communal Recreation Area
Encouraging a community atmosphere to pro-actively engage and socialise with neighbours, friends and visitors.
pro-actively engage and socialise with neighbours, friends and visitors
The communal recreational area forms a space for residents to congregate and socialise. This particular area is dominated by the relocated Ficus tree and also includes barbeque and seating facilities for residents to enjoy the leafy outdoor environment.
The relocation of the ficus tree was the driving factor in the design and planning of the recreation area. The practicalities of moving such a large tree meant that the new tree position needed to be maintained at its existing ground level. Storm-water capacity requirement of the site dictated the location of the adjacent overland flow channel and associated retaining walls.
The result is a ‘sunken’ garden, defined by wide terraced lawn steps that provide a gentle transition down to the lower lawn and seating area centered around the relocated tree.
Lush, shade tolerant planting provides a sense of enclosure while also providing users with views into the adjacent creek. The space will provide a common meeting place for residents and offer an alternate recreation area to residents.
Relocation of a Moreton Bay Fig
Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)
A mature Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla) becomes the entry road focal point of the project. This impressive large Ficus dominates the entry road view corridor and provides a central feature to the communal recreational area for the site.
dominates the view corridor
Although a number of trees needed to be removed across the site, one large Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla) was deemed worthy of retention.
This tree forms a focal point of the entry road view corridor and is a significant spreading tree that covers a large area.
detailed aborist assessment
A detailed aborist assessment confirmed the suitability of the specimen for relocation. Long-term monitoring of the health of the tree is necessary to ensure the tree remains the focal point of the development.
Rehabilitation and Protection of Fish Creek
Achieving a Manning’s roughness of at least 0.08.
rehabilitation and protection of our natural waterways
The site sits adjacent to the Fish Creek corridor, a natural asset attracting much local interest and concern. Several factors contributed to the removal of a large number of trees along the top of the creek bank.
A number of the trees were weed species, and earthworks associated with the development site and future bike way required additional removals.
Re-vegetation and erosion control of the disturbed areas became necessary in order to retain the integrity of the creek bank and contribute positively to the creek corridor environmental values.
The resulting re-vegetation strategy was guided by Brisbane City Council’s Natural Channel Design Guidelines and other applicable industry practices.
The re-vegetation of the creek embankment was required to achieve a Manning’s roughness of at least 0.08, a formula that indicates the flow through a channel that factors in vegetation types and densities, channel dimensions, surface finishes, as well as rock particle size.
this required closely working with other specialists within the project team to arrive at a solution
Overland Flow Channel
Stormwater Control and Filtration
An overland flow channel cutting through the development area was integrated into the site design to accommodate storm-water entering the site from the end of Eranga Street, located to the north.
The landscape treatment of the overland flow zone aims to mimic a ‘natural’ creek bed, using vegetation and rock of varying sizes.
The selection of tree species to this zone included Swamp Paperbarks (Melaleuca quinquenervia) and Broad-leafed Paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendron), selected for their hardiness in wet conditions.
The understorey consists of Mat Rushes (Lomandra longifolia) planted in a ‘natural’ arrangement which will contribute to stabilising the ground for large rain events, as well as soften the built form of the adjacent retaining walls.
Citicene provided landscape architectural advice from concept to completion for this premium townhome development.
we provide advice from concept to certification
