South West Rail Link (SWRL) Glenfield to Leppington Line – Integrated Art and Heritage Strategy

Integration of art, heritage and greening into built form elements. This reflects a sustainable outcome, and demonstrates fusion of integration landscape/urban design, historical research, sustainable approaches, micro-climate and community education. Imagery green wall strips and market garden strips with corresponding signage incorporated into built elements) at Leppington Station reflects market gardens that used to dominate the area. These reflect the history, incorporats innovative responses, and encourage regeneration with green walls as a living function.

Emphasis was placed on the integration of artworks with built form elements. This approach delivered more interesting and engaging structures, including street furniture that added identity and minimised additional clutter. Artworks were integrated within built form elements on high pedestrian traffic areas such as the stations, applying a contemporary design with an uncluttered visual effect. The integration of art contributes to the sense of place and identity of the overall project, sustaining the values of heritage places and landscapes and educating the surrounding community on the history of the locality. A creative response to a standard Railcorp brief to suit safety & maintenance requirements.

This is further underpinned by the abstraction and cross referencing of various elements in different locations, illustrated in the signage panels at platform level, creating a journey experience. It also demonstrates how the heritage aspect can incorporate contemporary and fun interpretations. To compliment the Market Garden Strips, interpretation signage is also introduced at platform level. In order to minimise clutter, this signage is integrated with the main piers of the station building. The signage explains the market gardens strips and provides historic references of the land pattern and land use development of the area.

Through evaluating cost issues, landscape architects and urban designers collaborated to enrich the scheme by introducing silk screened panels of vegetable strips, to complement the green living strips, to further express the former market garden land use of the area. The panels were inserted into the high retaining at platform level, and signage on adjacent columns at platform level explains the heritage interpretation and design inspiration to apply the thematic of the previous market gardens of Leppington to reflect this historic land pattern of the area.

Responsive design to a standard brief; and incorporated social-economic values through the collaborative design process and physical outcomes on site.