Bellingen Shire Courier Sun – October 10, 2018
The Coffs Harbour Jetty4Shores project has received top honours in the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division Awards.
The award for Urban Design went to Coffs Harbour’s Jetty4Shores Revitalisation project by Fernmount-based Fisher Design and Architecture with Mackenzie Pronk Architects and Coffs Harbour City Council.
“The project effectively communicates the spirit of place and the genuine community affection for this site,” the jury noted. “The cultural and environmental meanings of the site have been enshrined within the design.”
Local architects Fisher Design + Architecture accepted the award, acknowledging the outstanding collaborative effort of Coffs Harbour Council with local architects, engineers, artists, construction teams, and the community, to revitalise the precinct integrating landscape, art and built form to create places for people to live and engage with each other.
The full citation from the jury reads:
“The Jetty4Shores revitalisation project effectively communicates the spirit of place and the genuine community affection for this site. The cultural and environmental meanings of the site have been enshrined within the design by thoughtful use of materials, careful siting of facilities and meaningful engagement with the public and various design professionals and artists. The location and design of community facilities within a lineal and dynamic landscape is challenging, but this project is well thought out and resolved. The choice of materials and design features respond to their environment and purpose, and further reveal their true colours at night under lights. The necessary upgrading of existing amenities, while often banal, is commendable, as is the integration of art, sculpture and landscape. The stage space has been well sited and its singular roof form representing the flight of the wedge tailed shearwater is a generous and joyful expression of place that serves its purpose as the premier gathering space within the site.”
The Jetty4Shores Stage by Fisher Design and Architecture with Mackenzie Pronk Architects, and engineered by local firm Omeara Wood and Associates, also earned a Commendation for outstanding design in the Small Projects category.
Coffs Harbour Deputy Mayor, Councillor Tegan Swan, said: “The Jetty4Shores project is an outstanding success and has been so well received by locals and visitors alike. It’s fantastic to see the project – and the work of a local firm, as well as council – receive such amazing recognition from a national peak body. Acknowledgment from such a prestigious organisation is a great achievement for all those involved in this major project. A massive congratulations to the team.”
The awards highlight the value of creating high-quality urban spaces and facilities for our regional communities.
“We are thrilled that the Jetty4Shores project has been recognised with these awards,” Christian Fisher said.
“It’s a tribute to all involved, and testament to the value of creative input- the designers, artists, the school students, and the Coffs Harbour City Council project team.”
NSW Chapter President, Andrew Nimmo, congratulated all of this year’s award winners and noted the important contribution the architectural profession as a whole was making to deliver more sustainable, cohesive communities.
“Architects apply design thinking to everything they do in order to do more with less and help clients realise opportunities that they did not know existed,” Mr Nimmo said. “This is just part of the value we describe when we speak of the design dividend, and each year we see the bar raised when it comes to the innovative design solutions and practices architects are implementing across regional NSW.”
Photos: ST Images- Jettys4Shores Revitalisation Project – Coffs Harbour Jetty, by Fisher Design and Architecture with Mackenzie Pronk Architects and Coffs Harbour City Council
