The Rocks Laneway
The Rocks Laneway has knitted together old and new spaces to create a meandering space that encourages people to visit and stay, while also improving the physical and visual links between Geraldton’s foreshore and main street.
With its tactical blend of urban design, place activation and place programming, The Rocks has acted as a catalyst for the revitalisation of the wider city. Geraldton’s urban centre is now home to a sequence of connected and energetic spaces linking locals and visitors on a journey through key public spaces between the city and waterfront.
A collective design process between the city, UDLA (lead consultant), TRCB and other collaborators lead to the creation of a new use for the Rocks building – effectively transforming it into a village square sheltered from the elements. This space now hosts regular events with an ongoing curated public program of activations and curios whilst also providing an additional pedestrian link through town.
A 300-metre-long meta-graphic artwork extends across existing surfaces to unify different zones and improves the pedestrian experience between the Foreshore to Marine Terrace (the main retail precinct) through to the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (GRAG)
Throughout, an art trail acts as ‘visual glue’, with the use of a metagraphic to connect the foreshore to Geraldton’s central art gallery. This work by Trevor Richards visually activates the area, establishing a 300m-long wayfinding element that extends.
Along the way, the brief was collaboratively expanded to include a skeletal pavilion that physically references Geraldton’s old post office and replaces the clock in its original location. This additional connective space provides shelter and seating while reinstating the streetscape.
As part of the project, UDLA facilitated the development of a Place Management Plan with the City of key stakeholders. This process established a set a shared objectives for the project’s future management, clarified the community asset’s governance moving forward and set into motion an activation timeline that allowed ‘The Rocks’ to be a busy place with a strong sense of community ownership from the outset.
Awards:
2021 Good Design Awards, Architectural Design - Urban, Winner Accolade
2020 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) WA Award for Urban Design
2020 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Award of Excellence for Urban Design
2020 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) National Award for Urban Design
2020 Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) WA Best Public Works Project $2M-$5M Award (Regional)
Details:
Client: City of Greater Geraldton
Aboriginal Country: Yamatji Country
Location: Jambinu (Geraldton, WA)
Dates: 2018-2019
Collaborators: TRCB, Trevor Richards, ETC, Arup, Geraldton Building Services & Cabinets, City of Greater Geraldton
Photography: KM Photography, Graeme Gibbons, Yvonne Doherty
