International Showcase: New Zealand

Landscape invited readers to submit their most inspiring ideas for addressing climate emergency. To start this new series, we present:

NEW ZEALAND: Scott Point: setting the standards for a sustainable sports park

New Zealand Scott Point: setting the standards for a sustainable sports park WSP Opus

Auckland City will undergo significant urban growth over the next 30 years. New communities will be established on the fringes of the City’s existing urban areas, where land to accommodate 137,000 homes and 67,000 jobs has been identified as suitable for urban development.

Expansion in the north west part of the City includes a new community of 20,000 residents at Scott Point. At the centre of this community will be New Zealand’s first fully sustainable sports park, covering 16.4ha. Identified as a pilot for future parks across the City, it will help steer the future course of design, development, management and governance of parks across Auckland in a way that responds to the urgent needs of the planet for sustainable custodianship.

Collaborative design approach

WSP worked closely with Tangata Whenua (first nations people) and community stakeholders to develop a robust, design-led masterplan. The collaborative ideology ensured a balanced response that addressed climate change issues and adaptation, whilst contributing to a vibrant sense of place and focal point for the Scott Point community.

View to harbour

© WSP

Themes that underpin the masterplan include: people and place; consideration of resource reuse and consumption efficiencies; minimising pollution, waste and emissions; regenerative ecology; innovation and management and governance.

For the first time in New Zealand, the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) Infrastructure Sustainability rating tool 1 was used on a park project to guide and measure the sustainability of the scheme. Auckland Council’s aim is to achieve the highest ISCA:IS rating, which underpins the potential benefits and application of this approach to future schemes.

Sustainable masterplan

A sustainable programme for the site was envisioned, with an emphasis on restorative ecology, biophilia and multi-use facilities. The resulting masterplan comprises three main areas: a sports zone (23%), an informal recreation area (23%) and an area of ecological restoration (54%). Natural landforms have been retained and earthworks minimised: a major departure from a ‘business as usual’ approach that commonly emphasises maximising land coverage for sports provision.

ISCA rating tool

© WSP

Leading edge innovation and technology has enabled the scheme to optimise activity within the site, delivering higher levels of provision within the relatively smaller sports area footprint. Sustainable technologies have been embraced to promote renewable energy, minimise waste, reduce reliance on potable water, minimise carbon emissions and optimise carbon sequestration.

Harvesting renewable energy on site will provide a ‘closed energy loop’ through use of solar panels and wind turbines for the park. Provision for sustainable transportation to, from and around the site has been woven into the scheme and promoted externally. Establishing an integrated design approach and sustainable strategy for irrigation was critical to the success of the design. To meet the demands, innovative products for stormwater capture, treatment and reuse have been identified that will minimise maintenance and use of potable water.

Once complete, the park will be an abundant living landscape and, hopefully, the highly treasured heart of the community. It will showcase a flagship approach to providing sustainable community facilities by demonstrating adaptive, resilient design ready for the future.

By Catherine Hamilton Principal Landscape Architect, WSP Opus, New Zealand