34 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
ABOVE TOP : Along with ecological considerations , Isthmus also incuded playspaces so that the area also functions as a community resource . different recreational activities . “ I don ’ t think the space was really being valued beyond a restoration corridor and a cycleway network . The brief called for a bit of playspace and some traditional facilities ; and because it is a stream corridor the land wasn ’ t particularly usable in terms of contour .
“ There ’ s not a lot of flat land so we deliberately earth-worked the wetlands and terraced them . Doing that provided spaces to gather . Now the area is not just a corridor to move through . It becomes more of a public park that people spend time in .”
Crib retaining walls , rather than being separate elements , perform both as engineering structures that support the infrastructure behind them , and as spaces for people above and within the structures . Made from treated pine timber and filled with rock – both of which were locally sourced – the walls are permeable structures that help to filter the water and can flex and move as the land expands and shrinks . Over time the structures will become part of the park ’ s ecology . They are also land bridges and provide spaces for public amenity .
A bold aesthetic for the crib