Waterfall by Crown by Taylor Brammer Landscape Architects

Located to the south of Sydney’s city district the suburb of Waterloo is a 21st century neighbourhood that once existed as a 19th century heartland of heavy industrial factories. Its recent revitalisation as a medium to high density residential area explores the modern notion of a living and working environment, thereby encouraging a sense of place, community, and well-being.

Within this neighbourhood, the residential development of Waterfall by Crown is an exemplary model of an urban sanctuary that embodies these modern values. The design delivers a series of external landscape environments that fold, wrap and integrate with the innovative architectural expression of the built form. Thoughtful design of tangible links and interfaces between this development and the urban framework of Waterloo is evident, particularly in its alignment with the open space character of the neighbouring Rope Walk Park, also designed by Taylor Brammer.

The aim of the landscape design of Waterfall by Crown is to create ‘memorable places’ that are embodied within lush, vegetated sanctuaries. Offering a reprieve from city living, these sanctuaries serve as a stark textural contrast to the raw concrete surfaces of the architectural expression, infusing the highly urbanized setting with the empowering warmth of nature.

A sense of tranquillity extends throughout the site as extensive plantings of cultural and native species reveal the numerous water features that create a variety of individual and distinctive places. A through site link is distinguished by a vegetated bamboo archway, creating a wayfinding element alongside the architectural façade and effectively concealing the vertical form of the 23 floors of apartments above. At the core of the development is – the sanctuary, highlighted by a memorable sequence of planters that ‘float’ in the extensive water feature emphasising the fractural forms of nature. Seating pods, water features and timber sun terraces create further opportunities for the use and enjoyment of the collective Sanctuary.

An eight-story waterfall (the tallest constructed waterfall in the southern hemisphere, at the time) forms a dramatic and memorable living sculpture that informs the design of the surrounding site. The dramatic waterfall establishes a threshold between the grand entry lobby and the higher light levels in the collective sanctuary, through a journey that expresses water in its various forms from the energy of the waterfall, subtle moving stream and cascade and the tranquillity of a reflective lagoon.

Harnessing the empowering warmth of nature in the urban setting, a sense of community is crafted through an array of resort style facilities. Among these offerings are an infinity rooftop pool and terrace, a cantilevered gym, a rooftop cinema, a serene lagoon nestled amidst lush gardens, a versatile function room equipped with a catering kitchen and music room.

This holistic approach echoes the principle of “genius loci” where the entirety transcends individual components. Waterfall by Crown is a sanctuary woven into the urban fabric of Waterloo, seamlessly connecting with the surrounding landscape, both visually and experientially.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
Taylor Brammer Landscape Architects

• All architecture offices involved in the design:
SJB Architects

• Other credits:
Client: Crown Group
Public Domain: City of Sydney Public Domain Strategy
Public Parks: Masterplan by Gallagher Studio
Artist: Mika Popov Utson
Vertical Gardens: Junglefy
Vertical Access: Manntech
Water feature engineers: Colarc and Crystal Pools
Water Wall and waterfall engineer and Installation: Waterforms International.
Arborist: Glochidion Arboriculture and Tree IQ Arborist.
Structural and Civil: Van der Meer Consulting
Hydraulic: C&M Consulting Engineers
Lighting: Donnelley Simpson Cleary
Irrigation: Waterwise Irrigation.
Traffic: Transport & Traffic Planning Associates
Public Domain Electrical: Ausgrid and Floth

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