Bremer Bay Town Square
Bremer Bay Town Square involved the co-creation of a new civic heart and skate park for (and with) the Bremer Bay community.
The project incorporates multipurpose elements that celebrate local materials and serve as meeting places or playing spaces, as best suits the moment.
To design the project, UDLA developed three scenarios, each shaped by input from the community. As part of this process, the UDLA team facilitated two design workshops with a Community Reference Group, which led to an agreed design for the Town Square, from which the project was further developed and documented for tender. Completed in 2018, the Bremer Bay Town Square continues to be a popular meeting place for locals and visitors alike.
Located along Bremer Bay’s new main street, the Civic Square has been sited with the long-term view in mind, to create a strong focal point for the town as the new main street continues to develop with local businesses.
Packed with amenities (BBQs, shade shelters, furniture, public rest rooms), showcasing the region’s spectacular endemic species, and catering for different recreational uses (playground, skate park, village green) the new square is a place for everyone.
Initiated by the Shire of Jerramungup in conjunction with the Bremer Bay community, Lotterywest and the State Government, the project was the result of extensive local input, from the concept design, through to material donation and selection, as well as construction.
With its skate park, all-ages nature playground, BBQs, shade shelters and long tables, the Bremer Bay Town Square is an inclusive community space in the centre of town.
The materials and structures showcase local rocks and timbers, and are employed in ways that are honest and robust, as suitable for a public space in a regional coastal town.
The civic square creates an arrival point for Bremer Bay – serving to orientate visitors to both the town and the region.
A pair of long tables sit comfortably under a robust timber-framed shelter with barbeques and sinks for public use. The ground surface in this central space is embedded with a luminescent aggregate that glows in the evening – a nod to the expansive night sky.
Details:
Client: The Shire of Jerramungup, LotteryWest
Aboriginal Country: Wudjari / Wagyl Kaip Land
Location: Bremer Bay, Western Australia
Dates: 2014 - 2018
Collaborators: Bremer Bay Local Community, Tinka Sack (Landscape Architecture collaborator), Earthcare Landscapes (Contractor), Enlocus (Skate Park Design), Nathan McQuoid (Planting Design), Nature Play Environments/Bernard Kaiser (Playground Design), Jason Reside & Trevor Waite (Structures & Furniture), Albany Formwork, Civic Square Community Reference Group, Skatepark Fundraising Group
Photography: Miles Noel
