K2K Design Proposal

BACKGROUND: The K2K design proposal, developed by JMD Design (the practice of Anton James) in collaboration with Hill Thallis, and Bennet and Trimble, won the K2K Urban Design Competition in 2016. The competition was run by Randwick City Council, which invited the world's best architects, planners and urbanists to imagine a sustainable and innovative vision for the future of Kensington and Kingsford Town Centres. CONTRIBUTION: The K2K corridor sits within an ancient landscape and water system that ran from Centennial Park to Botany Bay. The Millstream, the most enduring trace of this system, runs parallel to Doncaster Avenue. Over the past century it has been capped and canalised, its primacy in the landscape superseded by the grand axis of Anzac Parade. The proposal that JMD collaborated on invests in the ancient system and reveals it as a complementary figure to Anzac Parade. Combining enhanced public open space and water management, together these initiatives define a new and highly liveable urban structure. Anzac Parade is reconfigured as a boulevard punctuated by new civic places of intensity, whilst the revealed Millstream is reconfigured as a new green spine punctuated by a variety of water bodies within their associated parks. SIGNIFICANCE: This proposal was 1 of 4 finalists where the public was invited to provide feedback; this was a significant move to better understand the community's needs and aspirations. The independent expert jury consisted of Malcolm Snow, Ben Hewett, Jennifer Neales, Kerry Clare and Tim Greer, who unanimously chose JMD, Hill Thalis + Bennett and Trimble as the winner for its diverse range of public benefits, including identification of more public spaces and the integration of light rail, roads and pedestrian access. Randwick City Council awarded the winners $300,000 and published the proposal and consultation report on the Council website. The proposal was reviewed in Architecture Australia and Foreground.