Armstrong Regional Park

The park project brief included many elements, being the primary green space for an entire new township. It features a large shaded picnic shelter, pergola, BBQ facilities, toilets and amenities, boardwalk, sculptures, a feature play tower, shaded sandy play area, and a diverse range of play equipment. All this has been set within the existing ecosystem of Armstrong Creek, which includes a natural tributary creek line with ancient trees and a more recently built wetland system on the southern end. 

Timber was a core focus of the material palette, both for it’s aesthetic, and for it’s  visual language as a natural, playful material with a strong connection to the earth. MGD sought a strong relationship between the built project and the site, and timber provided an important link between the architecture and the natural environs, forming a mutual bond. Recycled ironbark timber was largely used, along with new white cypress. Seating and play equipment are all timber based, with the park as a whole operating as a celebration of the versatility of the Earth’s most natural building material. Careful detailing minimised timber waste, and innovative uses make timber the star feature of the park. The project’s realisation relied heavily on the unique properties of timber.