A sculptured concrete artwork that pays tribute to emergency services personnel has been named Australia’s best urban landscape project for 2005.
The National Emergency Services Memorial, in Kings Park on the shores of Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, was recently named overall winner of CCAA’s 2005 Public Domain Awards.
Held every two years, the Awards recognise the innovative and functional use of concrete to enhance the public domain.
The Memorial uses a mix of dramatic sculptural forms, images and words to express the values and professionalism of Australia’s emergency services personnel. It features a raised and folded concrete ‘blanket’ wall to convey the sense of safety afforded by emergency personnel.
The judging panel described the project as “an almost perfect example of the flexibility of (concrete) and its potential for integration with any setting”.
The winning project was designed by Aspect Melbourne for the National Capital Authority. Contractors who also worked on the project were DCG Design, Urban Contractors and SA Precast. Category winners in this year’s awards were:Streets – North Terrace Redevelopment Stage 1 (Adelaide)Paths – The Hive, Erina Fair (Erina, NSW) Precincts – Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks (Brisbane)Walls – Shrine of Remembrance Courtyards, St Kilda Rd (Melbourne)Public Artworks and Best Overall Project - National Emergency Services Memorial, Kings Park (Canberra)The 2005 Public Domain Awards were judged by an eminent panel of landscape and design architects, headed up by Professor Catherin Bull of the University of Melbourne.
Other jury members were Ed Haysom of Haysom Architects, and Gini Lee from the University of South Australia.Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that represents and promotes Australia’s $6 billion a year construction materials industry.