DesignInc assisted Woolworths in securing the tender for the development of Section 14 by preparing the tender design. The tender design comprised a 6,100m2 Big W discount department store, 5,760m2 specialty retail / commercial and 111 residential units with 639 basement parking and 107 on grade parking. Apart from responding to Gungahlin Development Authority’s guide lines for the site, our design endeavoured to create a mixed use precinct where people could live, eat, shop, work and socialise in an environment that is active and alive.

Our design presented a modern village, promoting the cohabitation and interaction between retail, commercial and residential use. The three/four storey residential apartments were concentrated at the eastern and western site edges to help create the ‘village’ with a vibrant community feel and a sense of ownership. The residential area integrated with the single storey retail at the sites’ eastern corners create focal points designed as ‘landmarks’. Our design is comprised of 2 storey retail with all weather protection awnings leading up to the main entrance into the specialty retail arcade and discount department store.

The carparking located predominantely in the basement, and accessed from rear of the devlopment allows the main street and the town centre generally to become a ‘pedestrian place’ that is easy to navigate where shoppers and residents feel encouraged to use the footpath cafes and landscaped open spaces.

Connectivity in the form of transparent glazed links at residential lobbies and the retail arcade entrance draw people into the precinct, to internal ‘mews’, and courtyards while allowing movement through to landscaped community spaces in Gungahlin Place.

The architecture is contemporary where facades are punctuated with deep balconies, user-controlled timber shading devices and glazed shopfronts. The broken up modular facades were designed to fit the Australian Climate where sunshading and screening were used as a means of articulating the floor levels above the retail streetscape.

This approach has allowed us to activate the major streets through interactive retail and residential architecture that is people focused. The introduction of detailed facades at street level brings a scale and size that is more pedestrian friendly and one that can interact and respond to the landscaped and paved streets.

The apartments are given two frontages: a ‘private’ and a ‘public’ face to maximise cross ventilation and natural light. The residential component with it’s mix of high quality 1 and 2 bedroom apartments achieves a critical mix of residents ranging from single occupiers to families that will help activate the precinct.

Our design also included the provision of a public domain improvement that facilitates cultural, social and recreational activities. The improvement comprises of a wide landscaped and paved pedestrian street adjacent to Gungahlin Place that incorporates cafes, restaurants, alfesco seating and an area for weekend markets.

Year
2006

Location
Australian Capital Territory

Client
Woolworths

Value
$32M