Sydney Urban Resilience

SYDNEY URBAN RESILIENCE DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR THE NEXT 3 DECADES

06

30 Years The botanical gardens are spread out across the harbour extending the space of urban garden typology recreating the atmosphere of the space, reinforcing Sydney as a city emerged in biodiversity. This is reflected in the scheme as shown above where existing bridges are used to recreate a sanctuary from the busy city below, extended beyond circular quay this new green infrastructure extends onto the Sydney Harbour bridge. This in itself establishes a new iconic vision for the city of Sydney and the perception of the city as a green city of the future.

Integrate the delicate ecosystem of the Botanical Gardens with the City of Sydney Region by delineating the borders with the Central Business District.

Ensure that the zone is water resilient [coastal/rainfall], and self sufficient to protect against future climate change and water demand.

WATER

USERS

Water resilience

Invite users to further engage

Independent Water Demand

Improve accessibility and utility.

NATURE

TRAFFIC

Delineate urban border

Mitigate disruption of transportation

Increased Biodiversity

3D

WATER

NATURE

USERS

TRAFFIC

3M 3Y

Promote native green by giving away seeds Prepare to repurpose oil tanks as water storage Address the stormwater pipes for future suitability Install temporary pavillions that provide confrenece space

Cultivate mangroves around the coastline Construct the streams for the water courseways Develop the bio-retention ponds Introduce cycleways that connect CBD

Connect the ‘High-Line’ from the West Integrate the bicycle network into the gardens Construct the Botanical Research and Development Centre Greenhouses to grow plants for the city of Sydney Reuse heat & CO2 emissions from the highway-tunnel Construct boardwalks through the mangrove

3M

3 Months The botanical gardens becomes the centre of horticulture and biodiversity of the greater Sydney, as it remains the central hub of Australian ecosystems. This position allows it to become a teaching and learning facility for the future of the city. Space is allocated for new access and bike lanes, while providing market space for community engagement with the park as a whole. While the centre provides seed and saplings to interested family’s allowing the spread of natural species and the greening of grater Sydney.

3Y

3 Years The botanical gardens is originally built off reclaimed land, this land use to be creek inlets and mangroves. These spots help diversify plant species and animal species that help bring equilibrium to the surrounding habitats and ecosystems. The scheme that is implemented at this level will see water used in varies methods to be recycled and stored on site so that it may be used and recycled by the whole garden system. Additionally the introduction of the mangroves will help clean and restore the ecosystems of the harbour after years of pollution.

3D

30 Years The botanical gardens are spread out across the harbour extending the space of urban garden typology recreating the atmosphere of the space, reinforcing Sydney as a city emerged in biodiversity. This is reflected in the scheme as shown above where existing bridges are used to recreate a sanctuary from the busy city below, extended beyond circular quay this new green infrastructure extends onto the Sydney Harbour bridge. This in itself establishes a new iconic vision for the city of Sydney and the perception of the city as a green city of the future.

A new architectural competition that creates international interest, which by being temporary has a significantly lower impact on the local ecosystem.

The goal of the designers is to employ sustainable practice and achieve net positive design

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Commercially available temporary spaces that provide a different environment for business. Would be most suited to international conferences to showcase rich natural environment that Australia is renowned for.

The oil tanks, originally used to carry diesel fuel will be repurposed over the three months to store storm water. This is a preventative measure to collect rainfall in the future threat of drought.

3M

The coastline of The Botanical Gardens has been prepared and mangroves have been planted. This is to restore the original ecosystem to what was once marshland.

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n pools are to be completed by rating the natural basin of the is filtered and then continues on rage. This is also a way to beautify tical manner.

Water collected in the water tank will be used for irrigation purposes to ensure that the park is self-sufficient. A connection from the main bio-retention pond will be constructed to draw purified water as well as the current storm water.

3Y

At this point the mangroves will allow for a ‘secret space’ that emulates the current open air theatre. It will only be accessible by the boardwalks and requires a journey through the park and further delineates the border between the water and the current parkland

The mangroves are fully grown and provide a coastal erosion barrier, are host to a new ecosystem of flora and fauna, and gradiate the parkland from the water. In this way, proximity to green infrastructure of park users and immersion with nature within an urban environment is restored.

T p w u i

The new cycleway is introduced to the extensive park to provide new methods of engaging users with the scenic zone. It promotes vitality as people use it both as as transport route and leisure, thus improving the connection to different users.

The new research facility becomes mixed use by being both public and private domain, serving as a connection between the CBD and park but also providing new programs that would otherwise be unnavailable. It uses the by products of the tunnel to feed the plants that it will distribute

The tunnel is retained as a piece of infrastructure key to mobility of the city, however the pedestrian connection now conceals the distraction by building an earthen bridge over the top. It collects and converts any emissions from the vehicles i.e. CO2, heat, and feeds it back into the city.

3D

3M

SEEDS GIVE-AWAY

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS AUTONOMOUS SITUATION PARK USERS

Currently the park is used by locals and tourists for sports, leisure and commuting. Besides people the park is used by various animals as a habitat such as birds, bats, insects and small mammals.

The aim is to increase the accessibility for cyclists both for leisure and commuting. Additionally the Botanical Gardens should become a research and educational institute, facilitating both researchers and students in an open way. Lastly, the people working in the CBD area should become more frequent and active users of the park. Interaction and exchange of green and urban elements between the Botanical Garden and rest of Sydney should increase.

CLIMATE CHANGE

According to climate predictions Sydney’s climate will become more like the current climate in Brisbane.

This will result in a slightly warmer and dryer climate and decrease in precipitation. Currently (2017) Sydney annually receives 1215 mm of rain, this will decrease to 1150 mm. The amount of days it rains will decrease from about 100 to only 75 days a year and the occurrence of extreme rainfall events will increase. Sea levels will continue to rise and in combination with storms, flooding becomes more likely. This will increase coastal erosion and could consequently damage ecosystems at the coast such as the Royal Botanical Gardens.

RAIN WATER AND DEMAND

Currently the Botanical Gardens (area 30ha) receive 448,5 ML of rainfall annually. It is estimated that the amount of water that can actually be caught and stored is about 60% of this, due to e.g. evaporation.

This is indicated by the light-blue line in the graph. The annual water demand of the Royal Botanical Gardens is 185 ML. The aim is to become water independent and reuse rainwater to irrigate the gardens instead of drinking water. In the future the amount of precipitation will decrease and consequently the water demand for the park will increase due to the lack of water and increasing drought. It can be seen from the graph that around 2060 the park might not be able to sustain itself with rain water anymore.

However, stormwater from other areas coming in through the existing stormwater pipes is not included yet. Despite this, the independent water situation might become critical after 2060 if climate change continuous. Then the Botanical Gardens might have to adapt (part of) its vegetation to decrease its water demands and become resilient to the new climate.

VISITORS INCREASE

In 2017 there was a record breaking amount of 5,2 million visitors to the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Using predictions of both population growth and increases in tourism, an estimate is made of the subsequent growth in the amount of visitors. The scenario in the graph predicts a large growth, resulting in a total of 10,2 million visitors in 2048.

This is almost double the amount of visitors the park receives now, making expansion necessary in the future.

Seeds from several plants growing in the Botanical Garden will be given away to people. This will connect the citizens of Sydney with green and form the start of the greenification of the city. With the seeds people are able to take an actual part of the garden home.

A community can be created that connects people with green and with each other. Later this concept will be scaled up to providing actual plants both to citizens and public green in other areas of the city.

REPURPOSE OLD OIL TANKS

On the east side of the park, close to the military harbour, two old oil tanks are located underneath the ground. The oil tanks have a total area of 4500m2 and are 7m high. Currently, the art gallery is planning on repurposing part of the old tanks and transform it into an underground exhibition space. The remaining 3000m2 could be used for water storage that could store 21ML. This way a local water buffer can be created on site.

During the most extreme rainfall event in the last century Sydney received 340mm of rain in one day.

For the Botanical Garden area this accumulates to a total amount of 10,2 ML of rain. This could easily be stored in the tanks. In the last decades extreme rainfall events have mostly been around 150mm in one day. So even if these will increase due to climate change in the future, the tanks will help manage the stormwater in the park. The water buffer can be used during periods of drought, which are likely to occur more often.

TEMPORARY PAVILIONS

By setting up temporary pavilions that can be used for business meetings and presentations we aim to create a working space within the park. In this way people from the CBD area will be invited to spend time in the park and make use of the area. The CBD area is right next to the park, however the areas barely exchange nor interact. We want to create interaction and exchange of green and urban elements between the Botanical Garden and the rest of Sydney. It could be perfect for having workshops where you not only want to think out of the box, but also be out of the office box. Soon this pilot will be turned into a design competition for young architects and engineers.

MANGROVES

Mangrove forests originally covered much of the coastlines in south-east Australia. Much of it has been removed by people to create more accessible and attractive coastlines. Since they are native plants it would be very suitable to have them as a part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Apart from being traditional they are also very beneficial to their environment.

Mangroves are very suitable to grow in the current and future climate of Sydney for they are very resilient species that can cope with extreme heat, high salt levels and varying waterlevels. They create a favourable habitat for other plants, like sea grass, and various animals such as birds, fish, insects and bacteria. This way, they would be a great addition to the current biodiversity of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Besides this mangroves slow coastal erosion and protect the coastline against storms.

This could be beneficial when future climate change causes sea level rise in combination with an increase in heavy weather events. Furthermore they are efficient in capturing carbon and are able to do this much faster than terrestrial forests. Their deep root system ensures stability, salt filtration and recycling of nutrients. The latter results in a very nutrient rich soil that can be used as natural compost. After a few years this compost can be used in the Botanical Gardens instead of artificial composts. Later on surplus compost can be distributed to other green areas in the City of Sydney. The mangrove forest can considered an expansion of the park on the water.

DESIGN COMPETITION

The pavillion workspaces will soon be transformed into an actual design competition for temporary structures that serve as workspace. The design competition will run once every year, building on the same site within the botanical gardens. The design will be open to all young and emerging architects and engineers, enabling experimentation in the fields of sustainability and net positive design. The use of biological systems and engineering will be encourage in the design, were cumulative projects over the year will begin to either support each other or be recycled over their lifespan.

3Y

STREAMS & BIO-RETENTION PONDS

Small streams will be constructed on the existing slopes of the park to naturally catch the rainwater and let it flow towards the ponds (1,2). On its way down, the water can cool the park and water the surrounding vegetation. Also the small creeks will be a beautiful asset to the Royal Botanical Garden. The water runs through gross filters (3) to capture large pollutants such as plastic bags and bottles. Multiple bio-retention ponds (4) will be constructed in the lower central area of the park. The bio-retention ponds will clean the water and make it suitable for reuse for e.g. irrigation and cooling of buildings. This is done by running the water through grasses and reeds that filter impurities such as sediments and heavy metals.

The existing stormwater pipes that run through the site and currently dispose of the stormwater in the ocean will be connected to the streams. In this way the stormwater can be run through the bio-retention ponds as well and eventually be reused instead of lost in the sea.

WATER STORAGE

The filtered rainwater will be stored in the underground tanks for later usage in dryer periods. In this way the Botanical Gardens become self-sufficient and are able to balance their water throughout the year. A pipe connection will be made from the central pond to the tanks. Subsequently the tank will be connected to the current water network that is used for irrigation of the gardens.

COVERING THE HIGHWAY

The Cahill Expressway runs through a tunnel entering the park area underground from the south, coming above ground and in this way separating the Botanical Gardens from Domain park while it runs towards the west. At the west edge of the park it continues north again eventually going underground into a tunnel underneath the water. Because the turn-off towards circular quay will be removed and turned into a pedestrian boardwalk it is no longer necessary to have the highway come above ground. Therefore the highway will be covered. This will create additional green space in the park and delineate the boarder the highway is creating now. Not only Domain park will be more connected to the Botanical Gardens but also the CBD area. This will make the park more accessible and increase the potential usage by people working in the CBD.

GREEN WEST ENTRANCE

The Cahill Expressway will be turned into a green boardwalk for pedestrians and cyclist like the HighLine in New York. This will form an inviting green entrance from the touristic CBD into the Royal Botanical Gardens. At the same time the gardens will stretch out and further increase and connect with other green spaces in the city of Sydney. The plants for the High-Line will be provided by the greenhouses in the Botanical Gardens. By growing the plants locally the city is both self-sufficient and sustainable.

The bike-lane running over the High-Line will enter the park and continue over the tunnel in which the highway runs. This provides a biking connection through the park from the west to the east. Several small additionally bike-lanes will be constructed to create more connections for recreational biking and commuting.

3D

GREEN HOUSES

The glasshouses of the botanical gardens will be relocated onto the overpass built over the road.

This will be done to utilise the resources produced by the tunnel, where carbon dioxide and heat will be vented into the greenhouses heating up the space, speeding up the growing process. The saplings produced here will be handed out for free at the dispensers scattered around the gardens.

Besides that specific plants will be grown to provide other districts in the city of Sydney with plants for raingardens, wetlands and other green areas. In this way the Botanical Gardens become the supplier of green. It is estimated that the greenhouse will produce 400 000 saplings annually.

RESEARCH & EDUCATIONAL CENTER

The current facilities at the botanical gardens do not immediately connect with the public, lacking the possibility for community engagement and education. The new facilities that will be built over the glasshouse and lodge, will be established as a research facility. This building will house alternate programmes of both educating the public and researching native horticulture and animal habitats within the changing global and local conditions.

These facilities in connection with the architectural design competition will support a systems of research into both biospheres and urbansphere of sustainable design and net positive systems.

SECRET SANCTUARY

The mangrove trees will have grown considerably and have become an actual expansion of the Royal Botanical Gardens on the water. Together with other expansions, this will enable the park to accommodate for the growing amount of visitors and users of the park. The mangrove forest will be accessible by several boardwalks connected to the existing paths on land. The amphitheatre on the east side of the park will be moved onto the water into the mangrove forest. In this way it will be a secluded secret sanctuary in between the mangroves. The trees will be an actual part of the theatre, and arts and culture will be connected to nature in a broader sense.

3M Architectural Pavilion Competition location Seed Dispensery Exisitng Storm Water Existing Disel Tanks

Seeds from several plants growing in the Botanical Garden will be given away to people. This will connect the citizens of Sydney with green and form the start of the greenification of the city. With the seeds people are able to take an actual part of the garden home. A community can be created that connects people with green and with each other. Later this concept will be scaled up to providing actual plants both to citizens and public green in other areas of the city.

By setting up temporary pavilions that can be used for business meetings and presentations we aim to create a working space within the park. In this way people from the CBD area will be invited to spend time in the park and make use of the area. The CBD area is right next to the park, however the areas barely exchange nor interact. We want to create interaction and exchange of green and urban elements between the Botanical Garden and the rest of Sydney. It could be perfect for having workshops where you not only want to think out of the box, but also be out of the office box. Soon this pilot will be turned into a design competition for young architects and engineers.

On the east side of the park, close to the military harbour, two old oil tanks are located underneath the ground. The oil tanks have a total area of 4500m2 and are 7m high. Currently, the art gallery is planning on repurposing part of the old tanks and transform it into an underground exhibition space. The remaining 3000m2 could be used for water storage that could store 21ML. This way a local water buffer can be created on site.

3Y Architectural Pavilion Competition location Seed Dispensery Expanded Botanical Research Facility Mangrove Area Bio Retention Pond Purified Water Supply Existing Disel Tanks New Water Creek

Small streams will be constructed on the existing slopes of the park to naturally catch the rainwater and let it flow towards the ponds. On its way down, the water can cool the park and water the surrounding vegetation. Also the small creeks will be a beautiful asset to the Royal Botanical Garden.

Stormwater usually gets polluted therefore it needs to be cleaned in order to safely store it and reuse it. The water runs through gross filters to capture large pollutants such as plastic bags and bottles. Multiple bio-retention ponds will be constructed in the lower central area of the park. The bio-retention ponds will clean the water and make it suitable for reuse for e.g. irrigation and cooling of buildings. This is done by running the water through grasses and reeds that filter impurities such as sediments and heavy metals.

The existing stormwater pipes that run through the site and currently dispose of the stormwater in the ocean will be connected to the streams. In this way the stormwater can run through the bio-retention ponds as well and eventually be reused instead of lost in the sea.

Mangrove forests originally covered much of the coastlines in south-east Australia. Much of it has been removed by people to create more accessible and attractive coastlines. Since they are native plants it would be very suitable to have them as a part of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Apart from being traditional they are also very beneficial to their environment and therefore we would like to reintroduce them along the coast of the park.

3D Architectural Pavilion Competition location Seed Dispensery Greenhouse Expanded Botanical Research Facility Over Road Development Mangrove Area Bio Retention Pond Purified Water Supply Existing Disel Tanks New Water Creek Mangrove Board Walk Bicycle Lane The Cahill Expressway runs through a tunnel entering the park area underground from the south, coming above ground and in this way separating the Botanical Gardens from Domain park while it runs towards the west. At the west edge of the park it continues north again eventually going underground into a tunnel underneath the water. Because the turn-off towards circular quay will be removed and turned into a pedestrian boardwalk it is no longer necessary to have the highway come above ground.

Therefore the highway will be covered.

This will create additional green space in the park and delineate the boarder the highway is creating now. Not only Domain park will be more connected to the Botanical Gardens but also the CBD area. This will make the park more accessible and increase the potential usage by people working in the CBD. The current facilities at the botanical gardens do not immediately connect with the public, lacking the possibility for community engagement and education. The new facilities that will be built over the glasshouse and lodge, will be established as a research facility. This building will house alternate programmes of both educating the public and researching native horticulture and animal habitats within the changing global and local conditions.

These facilities in connection with the architectural design competition will support a systems of research into both biospheres and urbansphere of sustainable design and net positive systems.