Tidal Garden: a speculative design project - Curated by Ulla Giesler

Research Background: This design was selected from an international EOI for projects in the Asia Pacific region that addressed the curatorial theme set by the Aedes Gallery, Berlin titled "Water - Curse or Blessing!?". Tidal Garden: a speculative project is a designed ecological walk 1.5kms in length that responded to tidal cycles, floods and the threat of rising sea levels along the Murray Estuary. It was part of a much larger scheme (titled Tidal Garden) that had only been developed to a conceptual level. For the Aedes exhibition, the design of the walk was developed in detail and included the design of several buildings, landscape and external public spaces to show how these were derived from a close reading of the landscape. Research Contribution: The design of the ecological walk and associated buildings developed a range of techniques to engage both the immediate site conditions of the estuary as well as a macro understanding of the Murray river system and its floodplain. It was designed to promote eco-tourism by raising awareness of the many environmental issues facing the River and thus seeks an engagement with the complex ecological issues of the river while also proposing ways of 'living with the river' that will not impede its rehabilitation. This is achieved through a range of design strategies: in particular the design of spaces, buildings and enclosures that are designed to allow the entry of water; by bringing a range of river communities into relationship over the life of the project; and finally through its form and placement on the land. The eco-walk is thus seen as an intensification of the river system and its landscape. Its contribution to knowledge is within the field of site studies and the impact of this upon the design of buildings and infrastructure. Its originality is in the engagement with landscape studies, providing ways in which designers can engage with landscape from the intimate to the infrastructural and regional scales.