34
games would roll out. These are
definitely landmark projects for
Port Moresby and architecturally
I think they worked quite hard to
get a sense of local flavour, taking
their cues from the vernacular colours, shapes and forms, and from
the wider landscape.”
The availability of materials and
standards of local construction
influenced design choices.
“What we consider relatively
simple techniques in terms of concrete laying and finishing may not
be done to the same level of precision. You might have specified a
honed concrete, but you’re never
going to get that finesse of finish.”
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
They decided more traditional,
volcanic rock walls would deliver
a much better result functionally
and aesthetically. The walls became a strong feature throughout
both sites for retaining and terracing. “It was about understanding
those nuances, which feed into
making it not only a more inherently better design but also a
better overall outcome.”
Planting is all sub-tropical and
Brazier said it was difficult working remotely with local nurseries
to find available species and the
quantities needed, however the
landscape contractor did much
of the legwork. As plants grow
quickly in the Papua New Guinea
environment they were able to use
smaller grade plants and establish
gardens quite quickly.
In public environments everything had to be super–robust, with
a focus on bigger moves – “large
swathes of mass planting, large
strong structures and choosing
our battles in terms of what we
focused on aesthetically.”
They put more time into the design of a larger leisure area within
the fence line of the Aquatic Centre where the environment would
be more controlled.
Seating around the stadium was
custom-designed; mainly large