Date:
Thursday 28th October 12.30pm - 1:30pm

Location:
Watch the REPLAY on Vimeo 

CPD: 1 informal Point

Event Outline:
Join NSW Partner for a webinar discussing the Echo Point Boardwalk and Gathering Place Build

Echo Point at Katoomba overlooks a World Heritage Area, Blue Mountains National Park and is adjacent to the Three Sisters Aboriginal Place. This natural vantage point on the southern escarpment at Katoomba has gradually evolved as a lookout becoming more formalised over the years. In non Covid times 2.6 million people visit Echo Point annually and the existing walkways were becoming very crowded.

In 2019, Blue Mountains City Council commenced design work on a Gathering Place and a boardwalk. The boardwalk would replace a section of track that had been closed for ten years and the gathering place was a response following extensive consultation with Traditional Owners, the Darug and Gundungurra people. Many visitors to Echo Point were be oblivious to the fact that they look out over an Aboriginal Place. The essence of the Gathering Place was to provide an opportunity for Traditional Owners to communicate their culture and heritage directly rather than through static displays.

The design was an opportunity to create some exciting vantage points at the reimagined Prince of Wales Lookout and along the boardwalk. Part of the brief was to provide an accessible night lit walk to allow access to view the Three Sisters which are lit at night.

This Webinar will explore how these requirements were addressed as well as looking at the challenges of heavy construction adjacent to 100m high cliffs adjacent to sensitive natural area.

Presenters:

Carl Small General Manager RLA Co-Ordinated Landscapes

Co-Ordinated Landscapes commenced operation in New South Wales in 1972 . The majority of the work undertaken is carried out in the Sydney basin however they have completed projects in regional New South Wales.
Their expertise lies in the ability to manage and construct all facets of a commercial landscape project of any size and to the highest quality standards. 
Carl completed a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at UNSW and joined the Co-Ordinated family in 1993.
Carl is quoted as saying "My favourite projects are when we work closely with our clients to solve technical, logistical or program challenges. My favourite plant is English Oak – it brings back childhood memories.”

George Gallagher RLA, FAILA - Tract

George combines landscape architecture and civil engineering skills which enable him to translate design concepts into built form. Since joining Tract in 1979, he has been responsible for the resolution of complex design and technical issues relating to a wide range of commissions including urban, waterfront, institutional, infrastructure, recreational and environmental rehabilitation projects. 
Specialising in site detail design, George’s particular interest is in working with clients, other design professionals and construction industry people to add value and quality to projects. By repeatedly demonstrating the tangible advantages which his skills can bring to the tasks of problem analysis, and resolution, George continues the Tract tradition of actively promoting landscape architecture in Australia. His major Public Domain projects throughout Australia include all of Tract’s public domain projects in Canberra, the Canberra Beijing Garden, Echo Point, Katoomba, Manly Wharf Interchange and Manly Ocean Beach Promenade, Sydney CBD Street 
upgrades, and Forrest Place, Perth. George was also the Principal Consultant for the Canberra Beijing Garden Project and he led Tract’s work on the Mt Stromlo Recreation Park master plan and design process, the Lyneham Sports Complex redevelopment, Crace, and the City Centre revitalisation projects. 


Robert Fallon RLA - Blue Mountains City Council-BMCC

Rob has been a landscape architect for over 30 years spending much of that time in private practice Integrated Design Associates based in the Blue Mountains. While in private practice, Integrated Design Associates helped bring to fruition the meeting place at Mungo National Park, an upgrade of Mt York day use area for the commemoration of the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 2012, and the Gully Walk in Katoomba. For the last nine years Rob has worked at Council, initially in Natural Areas Management and more recently in Infrastructure Design where he now manages a small multidisciplinary design team. BMCC looks after 120km of walking tracks and over 80 lookouts, one of which is Echo Point in Katoomba. One of Rob’s passions is improving the offering natural area visitor facilities and that has been one of the benefits of working at a Council that sits within a World Heritage Area flanked by National Park.


Darren Mansfield RLA - Director 33 Parallel Landscape Architects 

Darren has 35+ years’ experience covering a wide range of projects from major road and rail infrastructure, airports, embassies, and campuses through to parks, resorts, and private homes. He has directed the planning and design of significant public and private landscapes locally, nationally, and internationally.
He spent the first 20 years after university as a landscape contractor in Sydney and on the north coast and started the first nursery in Sydney specialising in Australian rainforest flora.
From 2006 he was a director at HBO+EMTB Urban and Landscape Design and then Context Landscape Architects.
He started 33 Parallel Landscape Architects in 2019 with a diverse portfolio of completed and in-progress projects including the Gathering Place at Echo Point and lookout at Pulpit Rock, the Landscape Heritage Study for Hornsby Shire Council, the Integrated Streetscape Concept Design for Danks Street South Precinct, the Waverley Streetscapes Bondi Basin Project, The Macquarie University Health 

Free Online Event: 
Link will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

This event is kindly presented to our members thanks to AILA NSW Major Partner  Co-Ordinated Landscapes celebrating their 50 years anniversary!