Jury comment
The environment of Toomuc Creek, on the edge of an expanding growth corridor, has been transformed by Fitzgerald Frisby from a highly modified agricultural landscape to a piece of vibrant green infrastructure. The project challenges the delicate relationship between habitat and open space provision in a well-researched collaboration between landscape architects, ecologists, artists and engineers.
The design-led approach actively negotiates the tension between ecological systems and open space networks. The result translates complex technical requirements into high-quality design initiatives with a strong ecological underpinning. This includes the creation of habitat specifically for growling grass frogs, separate from wetlands linked to the stormwater treatment and open space systems.
Small-scale interventions enrich the identity and experience of the place. An abstract artwork interprets the local hydrology, a secondary trail network morphs into a BMX track and a truck turning circle houses a netball court.
