CASE STUDY - CHANNEL 7

Alpine Nurseries recently supplied plants to the future home of Channel 7, in the Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh.

The park spans 14 hectares of campus inspired grounds and features a rich industrial history (formerly Eveleigh Rail Yards owned by State Rail used since the early 1880’s). Its historical legacy is evident through clever integration of heritage buildings such as locomotive workshops alongside newly built modern office and commercial premises. ATP has gained recent publicity through television shows MasterChef and Top Gear, filmed on the park earlier this year.

Building contractor Watpac commenced construction of Channel Seven in 2008 removing over 53,000 cubic metres of excavated material and pouring 29,600 cubic metres of concrete onto the site.  The complex is 43,500m2 and includes four television studios and a 12-storey office building. A new public plaza has been created as part of the project, along with ground floor retail shops and cafes.

GJ’s Landscapes recently completed the landscape works including perimeter planting encompassing a number of level changes, creation of public open spaces integrated with the ground floor plaza and mezzanine level, improvement of the existing streetscape and construction of a complex roof garden perched 5 stories high.

The lower level Plaza is characterised by two rows of Pyrus calleryana ‘Cleveland Select’, defined by hedging and public seating to the southern edge, providing shade and seasonal colour. A Ulmus parvifolia in the south western corner complements the Pear trees.

The mezzanine level is divided into a simple paved space with seating and a grassed terrace. The space is bounded by a tilted planting bed of textured groundcovers. A planting of Syzygium ‘Cascade’ to the west of the space follows the edge of the Plaza and unites the mezzanine and upper levels. The upper level is defined by a large grassed terrace, edged by a planter continuing the theme.

What really stands out, in plant terms, is the arrangement of contrasting or “textured” groundcovers including; Cordyline ‘Red Fountain’, Cerastium tomentosum, Juniperus wiltonii ‘Blue Rug’, Juniperus conferta, Liriope ‘Evergreen Giant’, Trachleospermum jasmenoides and Pennisetum Nafray. This combination repeated on the various levels allows the individual character of each species to be appreciated and when viewed from above, a wonderful pattern emerges, defined by bands of the different coloured foliage. It has been well thought out by Context Landscape Design.