LACH5424 Design Studio - Complexity Unit Coordinator: Hans Oerlemans ‘WHAT IF Beaufort Street Precinct’
AMY STEWART
‘Footprints: Lowering emissions and increasing walkability on Beaufort St’ The existing condition of the Beaufort Street precinct prioritises the movement and activity of vehicles above all else, with wide traffic lanes dominating the public space and pushing pedestrian activities to the fringes of the streetscape. The purpose of the strategy is to return the precinct to its historical roots as a place that supports a great diversity of public uses where pedestrians and residents feel comfortable and welcome in the space. The Beaufort Street precinct is situated on the site of a once extensive chain of ephemeral wetlands that stretched across the Swan Coastal Plain. The lakes of Hyde Park, originally named Boodjamooling are one of only a few remaining remnants of this system. While traces of the wetlands can still be seen in the soils of Perth, the urbanised nature of the Beaufort Street precinct has erased surface level connections to the unique ephemeral system. This design strategy aims to reconnect the precinct to the deep environmental systems present on site, creating a greater sense of place of Beaufort as a wetland precinct.
Image: Quendas in an ephemeral wetland habitat.
240
