Hilltop Habitats is a design intervention for Barwon Water to develop the reservoirs near Highton, Victoria into a sustainable urban community. The site encompasses two large reservoirs that serve as the water source for the city of Geelong. Currently, the site is surrounded by electric barbed wire fencing and is off limits to the public, although it is situated within suburban Geelong. The site is open and exposed, but peppered with industrial infrastructure. Its elevation, however, on the topmost hill in Geelong commands 360 degree views of the city, the countryside and the bay.
The project proposes to develop the site for 55 apartment dwellings, a local retail and office hub and community centre, a series of public parks, an urban plaza and a tourism precinct. The project aims to be a forerunner of sustainable development by using passive building materials, water treatment strategies and renewable energy production at a precinct level. The constraints on the site are navigated by re-framing the space into distinct areas and partially screening critical infrastructure. An elevated walkway is constructed over necessary fencing, providing a platform for viewing visual art displays that are projected onto the reservoir membranes. Stunning view lines are captured at key locations, embracing the site’s position on Wathaurong country and its relationship with the surrounding landscape. A nature corridor sympathetically intertwined with the site provides habitat for the endangered flora and fauna of the Grassy Woodlands and creates an uninterrupted link between Barwon River bio-sites.
In developing the project concept, sketching, model-making and collaging were used to generate ideas. Five key questions were developed that the design needed to resolve and these were used as a framework to guide the placement and inclusion of features within the masterplan. The levels and topography of the site has been manipulated to guide the experience of moving through the space and create a hierarchy of circulation and usage throughout the site. Development of the site was considered through different layers, with the aim of balancing human needs with those of the broader ecosystem. This project is designed to be a community centre for people to live sympathetically within their environment.
