Capstone Project - Rekindle

REK INDL E

B AEN30 0 2 WESTMEAD SCHOOL PRECINCT Bernadette Balatbat 470408810

C ON T ENT S Pg 4

THE INVESTIGATION Macro Analysis - City of Parramatta Westmead SWOT Analysis Westmead Site Analysis Community User Profile Current Westmead Public

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THE VISION Vision Statement Objectives

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THE PRECINCT STRUCTURE Proposed Masterplan Proposed Structure Plan Traffic Controls Plan School Access Points

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THE PRECINCT DESIGN Heritage Site Treatment Enhanced Market Area Community Garden

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THE SCHOOL School Layout Child’s Experience

T HE INVE S T IG AT IO N

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M A CR O ANALY SIS

City of Parramatta Boundary and relation to Westmead Scale 1.40345

WESTMEAD WITHIN A WIDER CONTEXT

LEGEND

Westmead is split in half along the railway line. The north side of the suburb is governed by the City of Parramatta

City of Parramatta

government and is known highly as an education and health precinct. Located in the ‘north’ Westmead are several

Government Boundary

educational institutions including Western Sydney University and is home to the collection of Westmead Hospitals and medical institutions.

Westmead Boundary

investigation has shown that the surrounding suburbs also have established or flourishing identities which distinguish them from other suburbs. The proposed site as shown in the above map, is located in the south side of Westmead. The

Proposed Site

area is governed under Cumberland council and research has determined that the council has minimal to say about the Westmead area.

As observed, ‘south’ Westmead is currently comprised of mainly residential blocks, several educational institutions and few businesses. The area, not like its neighbouring suburbs, doesn’t hold a distinct character and lacks an overall community identity.

The Investigation

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S WOT ANALY SIS STRENGTHS Centrality of School Site The proposed school location is ideally situated central amongst the dense cluster of south Westmead residents. Thus the school precinct will be accesible for all the community. As seen in the SWOT diagram, residents are well within a 800 m walking radius to the school area.

Existing Westmead Market Cluster Near the school site, is an existing market area with a variety of businesses and groccers available for the community.

Neighbourhood Schools There are currently 6 other schools distributed fairly evenly throughout the south side of Westmead. Predominantly Catholic primary schools as

Unattractive existing market frontage. Lacks visual connectivity for pedestrians and is dominated by parking and vehicles.

well as kindergarten and preschool facilities.

WEAKNESSES Businesses location distribution Existing businsses are distributed sparsely and very distant from each other.

Unattractive Market Frontages While the cluster of markets is a strength, its frontage and the way the design interacts with the pedestrian sidewalk is unattractive and not inviting.

Vehicular Prioritised Road Hawkesbury Road being a main road has remained at the benefit of Vehicles. As shown in photographic evidence, the design of Hawkesbury Road has given little attention to pedestrian experience.

Pedestrian Permeability Hawkesbury Road within the allocated site area only contains two pedestrian crossing junctions. The Main road cuts Westmead in half and with only two crossing, the journey of east side residents is not permeable. This is a weakness for accessing the proposed school site.

Dominance of Vehicles on Hawkesbury and lack of buffer between pedestrian and vehicular zones. Issue of safety arrises

External groccers and Marts More established marts are located outside of Westmead and are not necessarily accesible to all residents by means of walking.

Lack of Green Spaces For a growing population there is a lack of green spaces and overall amenitites.

OPPORTUNITIES Neighbouring Bike friendly Paths There are green areas and reserves in Wentworthville and Parramatta Investigation which haveThebike friendly paths that cut off at the Westmead border.

THREATS Lack of Amenity The growing population of Westmead is not efffectively supported with the sparse amenity available within walking distance.

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The Investigation

One of three pedestrian crossings along the Hawkesbury Road

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SWOT Diagram Map of immediate Westmead surroundings

Scale 1.12500

Bike and pedestrian friendly path to Wentworthville

community garden

Lytton St Park in Wentworthville containing bike friendly paths leading to green areas

Bike ‘friendly’ path entering Parramatta Area Southern Domain park reserve The Investigation

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WE S T ME AD SIT E ANALY SIS CONTOURS

PREVAILING WINDS

ROAD HIERARCHY

ACCESS PTS & BUSSTOPS

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The Investigation

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The Investigation

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C OM M UNIT Y USER PR O F IL E As shown in the pie graphs, a summarised report of the demographics existing in

Popul a�on Growth

dominate the population.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, almost a quarter of the population - as of 2016 - was made up of children age ranging from 0 to 14 years old. Cross referencing with City of Parramatta documents, North part of Westmead was home to approximately 9,600 people the same year. In another source recommended by the council, Westmead is said to have a population of 16,309 people - most likely referring to both parts of Westmead.

9500

Popul a�on Growth

multicultural and diverse community. However there are some characteristics which do

12884 9500

25687

25463

24644

17491

25687

25463

24644

Westmead recorded in 2016 is shown and it can be strongly concluded that this area is a

17491 12884

The City of Parramatta directs population trends studies to a forecast demographic wesbite (forcast.id). Here it is stated that the North side of Westmead station is to grow

2016

2016

25,687 in the year 2041.

2021

2021

2026

2026

%

%

%

CULTURAL & LANGUAGE IDENTITY

%

%

BIRTH COUNTRY

%

%

LANGUAGE AT HOME

%

BIRTHPLACE OF PARENTS

%

%

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The Investigation

%

%

%

2041

2041

Series2

2036

2036

Series2

Westmead

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

2031

Year

Year

*NOTE: only expected growth of NORTH *NOTE: only expected growth of NORTHWestmead

2031

%

C UR R ENT WE S T M E AD P U BL IC A site visit to the existing Westmead Public School informed a varity of issues which the project looks to address. The school has turned to the use of demountables to accommodate for the growing population of children in the school - currently at approximately 1,600 students. With increasing numbers of demountables, one of the concerns that have arised is the lack of appropriate open play areas for the children. As shown in the photographs below, the school is dominated by hard surfaces (concrete) and circulation areas tend to snake around small play areas creating awkward and narrow circulation.

The school principal also highlighted some of the social issues present in the community. As indicated by the social statistics, a large protion of the community is of Indian heritage and 80% of parents are from overseas. It was explained that many of the parents, particularly mothers had trouble settling into the community. The school currently strives to hold events, groups and seminars to include the wider community in school matters as a way to grow the bond of the community.

Double storey classroom block. Painted wall mural as an attempt to brighten the school

Narrow, cramped outdoor space create by demountables. Dominance of hard surfaces while

grounds and add vibrancy for a more inviting environment.

soft landscape is not an ideal play space.

Narrow circulation walkways snaking around demountables which is only wide enough for 2

Courtyard like play area in the centre of several demountable classrooms. Contains small patch

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of grass but not ideal for large number of students.

The Investigation

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T HE VISIO N

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V I SI O N

To

design

with

welcoming

a

children’s

the

school

needs

precinct

at

heart.

While fostering academic learning and play, the school precinct will also serve as a landmark town centre that provides facilities, amenities and public spaces for the wider community so as to strengthen and celebrate the

diverse

The

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The Vision

physical

well

connected

shall

reflect

unity

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identity

to

a

of

Westmead

environment precinct sense

rekindle

of

on

will

a

whole. be

a

scales

and

together’

and

various

‘coming

Westmead’s

as

community

spirit.

O BJE C T I VE S

WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT • Rejuvinate streetscape and character to create a safe and engaging journey for kids to school and around Westmead • Strong emphasis on children’s scale and walkability particularly within school grounds • Use of bright colours, interesting textures and vegetation to integrate play in the learning environment and the overall community streetscape .

WELL-CONNECTED

STRENGTHEN & CELEBRATE DIVERSE COMMUNITY • Introduce and implement mix use and flexible spaces that are open for community use to showcase local talents and events. This shall be integrated within school grounds as well.

• Within school grounds, create a hierarchy of outdoor spaces for each year group that visually connect students to each other, highlighting they are a vital part of a diverse, wider community

UNITE & REKINDLE

• Introduce bike lanes and green trails that connect locals and students to various locations within Westmead.

• Reorganise and repurpose strategically selected urban blocks to create a much needed town centre.

• Encouraging active transport (biking and walking) for community.

• The location of this town centre overlaps with parts of the school site to nuture the children’s iindividual growth in a wider community context

• Enhance connection to neighbouring suburbs such as Wentworthville and Parramatta CBD by connecting new bike lanes and green trails to existing outer trails.

• Bridge the identities of both sides of Westmead separated by the railway line. Reconnect and establish a central connection to separated hospital institutions through community spaces.

The Vision

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Nulpa volorec totatem

T HE PR E CINC T S T RUC T URE

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M A CR O MA S T ERPL AN

LEGEND - PROPOSED CHANGES Â?

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Proposed Town Centre Area Â? Â?

Establish a town centre with a clustered

Â? and unified amentities accessible for all

residences.

Overlap these areas with school

grounds for a engaged community Â

spirit. Repurpose and rejuvinate street Â

character to bring more life Â? Â

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Heritage listed

Former Westmead Public Â

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Looks to conserve parts of the site and Â?

repurpose some of the buildings. Any action

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site and can further shed light on the health

precinct in Westmead

Proposed green trails and bike lanes  Macro � �  A means to connect � �

Westmead local community to neighbouring suburbs in

such a way that links to existing trails

and outer green spaces and parks.

 Proposed green trails and bike lanes �  Local � �

Bike trails and lanes that connect locals

Â? to areas within Westmead. Looks to Â?

encourage active

transport especially Â?

for school community

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The Precinct Structure

Westmead Health Institutions  �

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Interesting discovery that Westmead

Rehabilitation Hospital as shown on structure

plan is situated outside of Westmead far

away from the hospital district.

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Health Institutions Â?

Connected

Future goal is to ease the disconnect Â? between these institutions through the

redesigned school precint areas

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Westmead Border

Hawkesbury Road

School Site Area

Green Areas

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Wentworthville

Train Line

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Parramatta

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The Precinct Structure

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S T R UC T URE PL AN School Grounds &

Repurposed

Classrooms Additional Community

Community

Family

Garden

Medical Centre

Heritage Site Rezoned

Green Space Enhanced

Shared Hall &

Businesses

Market Area

library

STRUCTURE PLAN LEGEND - PROPOSED CHANGES

Residential

Educational Institutions

Proposed Medical Centre

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The Precinct Structure

Religious Institutions

Relocated Businesses

Bike Paths

Unmoved Businesses

Enhanced Market and town centre

School Shared Areas

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The Precinct Structure

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T R AFFIC C O NT R O L PL AN The following traffic controls have been put in place based on the layout of the school. More pedestrian crossings have been implemented to improve permeability for the community and allow better access to the school grounds and proposed town centre. While Hawkesbury is currently a vehicle dominated road, the following measures have been proposed to ensure the safety of children walking and biking around the area

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Enhanced Pedestrian Environments Achieves: - Separation of Pedestrians - Visibility of Pedestrians - Management of Vehicular Speed

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The Precinct Structure

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C B

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Entrance Legend

Year 3 & 4 Entrance

Bike Entrance

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A

Kiss & Ride Entrance

B

Kinder Corner Entrance

C

Bus Stop Entrance

D E

The Precinct Structure

The Precinct Structure

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A C CE S S P O INT S WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT

VISION FULFILMENT

Entrances to the school have been placed to ensure that children are warmly welcomed to the school and can easily navigate their way to their respective classroom blocks. Each entrance strives to create a pleasant experience for children when arriving to school.

A. Kiss n Ride Vehicular Drop Off Whie the precinct strive to encourage walking and biking as the main means of transport for the community, there are also measures to ensure that there is accesibility for car use.

The red area along the roads are desingated for vehicles dropping off their children . The sidewalk and bike paths are buffered by vegetation and elevated concrete buffers as shown in the diagram

Buffered bike lanes

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The Precinct Structure

B. Kindy Corner Entrance Kindergarten have been provided their own entrance for safety purposes. A ‘private’ entrance will allow for efficient and more safe collection of chidren by their parents. Though they have their own entrance, the experience is that of walking into an open play area that is connected to a wider communal open space shared by the entire school. So the idea of uniting is still achieved.

C. Bus Stop Entrance This entrance has been situated so that bus users can easily access the school site. The experience involves walking through a park reserve and then entering the school having an open and unobstructed view of all the classroom blocks and open areas.

E. Bike Lane Entrance Former School Parade street has been transformed into a fully pedestrian and is open for bicycle use from students of neighbouring schools. This entrance has access to the shared sporting grounds and green areas as well as the library spaces

D. Year 3 & 4 Entrance This entrance was added to ensure access to the site was even for all surronding residents.

The experience being created is going through a void created by the joint library which then opens up into the open communal play area.

The Precinct Structure

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T HE PR E CINC T D E SIG N

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H ER I TAGE SIT E T RE ATM ENT

Westmead Public School- 113 Hawkesbury Road (Google Maps, 2017)

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The Precinct Design

PROPOSED HERITAG SITE - PLAN

PROPOSED SECTION

PROPOSED STREET TREATMENT

The Precinct Design

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HAWKESBURY STREET FURNITURE

VEGETATION APPENDIX

Timber Seating & Bike Rack Stormwater Management Achieves: - Rain gardens - Reforestation/revegetation

Urban Vegetation Bed Buffer

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­

Assortment of Plant species chosen as recommended

by Sydney Water

based on the climate conditions

of Westmead. The selection was

also made based on appearance and height appropriate for child engagement and overall vibrancy

Vegetation Buffers & Driveways

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HAWKESBURY ROAD - VEHICULAR ZONE

VEGE BUFFER

BIKE LANE

START OF SIDEWALK

URBAN VEGETATION

BED

SIDEWALK

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The Precinct Design

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EN H ANCED MARK E T EXISTING MARKET AREA - Issues

ONE WAY

SIDEWALK

PARKING

SIDEWALK

VEGETATION

PARKING

ROAD

ONE WAY

PARKING

EXISTING MARKET

SIDEWALK

Unattractive and hidden market frontage. The street is dominated by three lanes of carparking.

HAWKESBURY RD

The Precinct Design

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PR OP OSED MARK E T ARE A

Seating

Pocket Playgrounds

Fun Fence

FURNITURE

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The Precinct Design

BIKE LANE

SHELTER & URBAN

VEGETATION

EXISTING MARKET

SIDEWALK

Colourful Polycarbonate shelter

HAWKESBURY RD

School Days The market area has been fully pedestrianised and decorated with various urban furniture and ‘pocket’ playgrounds for kids and parents to utilise on the way to school.

It is conveniently located near the existing markets which parents can access after dropping their kids off at school and the setting can be a catalyst for bettr social interaction and improved livelihood for new commers to Westmead.

Weekends The provided colourful shelter creates opportunities for weekend markets to occur to showcase the diversity of the community.

Surrounding schools can also use the area for mini fairs and exhibition space which enhances community engagement.

The Precinct Design

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C OM M UNIT Y G ARD EN

Urban Agriculture I Provision Achieves: - Community Garden - Edible Landscaping - Management of the School

Large Vegetation Benches

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The Precinct Design

Gateway Vines

School The school students and teachers are the primary source of maintenance for the garden.

Every week classes will be supervised by their respective teachers to the community garden, where they will be taught how to farm simple vegetables such as cabbage, potatoe, bell peppers and more. The space has been configured to allow teachers to be able to supervise students safely.

The school students and teachers are the primary source of maintenance for the garden.

Every week classes will be supervised by their respective teachers to the community garden, where they will be taught how to farm simple vegetables such as cabbage, potatoe, bell peppers and more. The space has been configured to allow teachers to be able to supervise students safely.

Community The community has full access to the garden.

While the maintenance is primarily the school students itself , parents of students can assist with the ongoing maintenance of the garden.

Since the garden is growing vegetables and fruits, the weekends can be opportunity for the community to harvest these foods and share it with other people in the form of markets.

The Precinct Design

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T HE SCHO O L

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S CH O OL L AYO U T

Classrooms

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The School

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CH I L D ’S E X PERIENCE Classroom Configuration Examples Classrooms can accommodate a total of 40 students, ensuring that there are suitable number of teachers to carry out the necessary work. Classrooms have been configured as shown on the overall school layout map and the diagrams on the right to create visual connection between all year groups and between each classroom. This has been done to achieve the sense of unity and celebration of diversity as stated in the precinct vision.

School blocks are arranged in ascending order and hve been situated t ensure kids achieve the recommended amunt of physical activity within school grounds. According to Australian government Department of Health children should have at least total of 60 min physical exercise per day.

Research has ages have a

been done to walkable journey

ensure kids of all to their classrooms.

Age Age 5-5.5 years 5-5.5 years 5.5-6 years 5.5-6 years 6-7 years 6-7 years 7-8 years 7-8 years 8-9 years 8-9 years 9-10 years 9-10 years 10-11 years 10-11 years 11-12 years 11-12 years

m/s m/s 1.20 1.20 1.30 1.30 1.50 1.50 1.60-1.701.60-1.70 1.50 1.50 1.40-1.601.40-1.60 1.75-1.901.75-1.90 1.60 1.60

Kindy

Year1 Year2 Year3 Year4 Year5 Year6

KindyApprox. 35 Approx. sec walk 35 sec from walk kindy from entrance kindy entrance Approx. 26 Approx. sec walk 26 sec to indoor walk tohall/sporting indoor hall/sporting Approx 1Approx min walk 1 min to canteen walk to canteen Year1 Approx. 1Approx. min 40 1sec minfrom 40 sec Main from entrance Main entrance Approx. 1Approx. min 50 1sec minwalk 50 sec from walk North from Entrance North Entrance Year2Approx. 50 Approx. sec walk 50 sec from walk West from Entrance West Entrance Approx. 1Approx. min 40 1sec minwalk 40 sec from walk North from Entrance North Entrance Year3Approx 30 Approx sec walk 30 sec from walk West from Entrance West Entrance Approx 2Approx min walk 2 min from walk North from Entrance North Entrance Year41 min 40 1sec minwalk 40 sec from walk Main from Drop Main Off Drop Gate Off Gate 30 sec walk 30 sec from walk West from Entrance West Entrance Year5Approx. 50 Approx. sec to50 1 min sec walk to 1 min from walk Main from Drop Main Off Drop Off Gate Gate Year6Approx. 50 Approx. sec to50 1 min sec walk to 1 min from walk Main from Drop Main Off Drop Off Gate Gate

The School

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