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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
PROJECT LIST
Project: Porirua Cobham Green
Client: Porirua City Council
Landscape architect: Isthmus Group
Project team: Dan Males, Alistair Luke
Contractor: Hawkins Infrastructure
Civil engineer - landscape:
Calibre Consulting
Structural engineer - kiosk:
Dunning Thornton
Sub-contractors: Bramco Paving,
Horokiwi Paving, Natural Habitats
Stone supply: 360 Urban
Street furniture: Fel Group
ABOVE TOP:
The kiosk is a key
architectural
element within
the wider area of
Cobham Court. The
central green space
ameliorates the look
of the numerous car
parks and creates
visual connections
back to Hagley
Street and
Serlby Place.
more inviting, so features such as
the tilting of the lawns and further
tree planting give more presence
to green elements.
“You don’t feel you are in a car
park — it is more embracing as a
landscape. There are lots of edges
to sit on, so on a sunny day you
can sit here with a sandwich from
the kiosk,” Males said.
Two established pohutukawa
trees within the central area offer
shade, and surrounding furniture
is made from Purple Heart timber.
Seats with red, perforated metal
panels around the sides are underlit and glow at night, creating
a friendly atmosphere, along with
the subtle lighting of the kiosk.
Paving is durable granite with
two or three colour and textural
variations and in different weathers
and lights the patterns change. Fins
set within stone block edges follow
gradients from deep red through
oranges and yellows.These fins add
vibrancy and deter skateboarders,
helping to maintain the social, passive use of the space.
“This a seed project,” Males said.
“It’s on a scale that people can buy
into and get an idea of what new
landscape design could bring to the
city. The rest of the project implementation will be measured, not all
in one go but in several projects.”