The Ponds thrives with custom shelters, bridges, boardwalks, artworks, and a safe walkway around...
- Client
- UrbanGrowth NSW
- Project Partners
- Clouston Associates and Milne & Stonehouse
- State
- New South Wales
Creating an inspired local landmark.
The Ponds is one of Australia’s fastest growing residential communities and FORGE (formerly Fleetwood Urban) has been involved from the earliest stages of its development. We’ve executed a wide range of large and important landscape structure elements for our client, UrbanGrowth NSW, including shelters, bridges, viewing decks, boardwalks and public artworks.
Among our most prominent projects has been The ‘Float’, an award-winning public art installation featuring twelve large sculptured umbrellas, designed to blend into the suburban landscape and become an enduring part of its social footprint. It was also our first project at The Ponds.
Our involvement.
Like each of our projects at The Ponds, we worked as a collaborative partner throughout the design and construction process. This saw us work closely with the artists, Milne & Stonehouse to bring their sketch designs to life through a series of elegant engineering solutions.
The bulk of construction took place on the site itself, with FORGE (formerly Fleetwood Urban) installing the footings, fabricating the umbrella structures, and then cutting and installing the stainless steel transit meshes.
We also collaborated with the lighting provider to ensure the project was completed in time for the grand opening of that particular sector of The Ponds development.
Design Challenge
The vision was to create a visual landmark that would inspire and enchant the local community, day and night. It needed to be simple, captivating and enduring.
The artists, Milne & Stonehouse, wanted the installation to make a bold statement on the presence and absence of water in Sydney’s changing climate, hence the use of a giant colony of inverted umbrellas – transforming them from sunshades and rain shelters into light receptors and water collectors.
Construction Challenge
The ‘Float’ is an artistically-complex contemporary structure, located at a busy intersection. As a unique piece of public art, staying true to the artistic vision was critical.
The large umbrella structures (the biggest stands 12 metres high) needed to be realised by a manufacturer with the technical expertise and craftsmanship to deliver the highly creative and intricate componentry, creating an installation as beautiful as it was structurally sound.
The stainless steel mesh was especially difficult to work with – it was flimsy and ultra flexible, hard to cut, and hard to attach to other things – but we came up with a methodology to make it work.
Innovations
One of the installation’s most loved features is programmable LED lighting that responds to the changing seasons and weather.
At night, the umbrellas glow with soft colours. When it rains, the same lights respond with a dance to celebrate the return of water to the landscape.
Features
- 12 giant sculpted umbrellas
- Programmable LED lighting
Safety and Risk Considerations
Sited on a busy roundabout, we needed to ensure the structures were installed securely and within the parameters of the roundabout to ensure the safety of commuters and the community at all times, in all weather conditions.
