Friday, June 22, 2012

Craigburn Farm Residence


The client was particular in setting a brief that would deliver an honest landscape to ground the newly constructed house at Craigburn Farm. On a steeply sloping site amidst the natural bushland character of the area WAX delivered a landscape that captured and accomplished the expectations of the brief.  Through the use of extensive plantings, feature gabion walls and rock terracing that creates an empathy with the architecture helping to settle the house in the landscape.

Generous entry steps with strong clean lines are softened by native vegetation and guide visitors to the front door.  A feature gabion retaining wall adjacent the front entrance creates a unity of materials between the landscape and the house.

Locally sourced Carey Gully stone creates a visually striking terrace. The stone not only retains the steep embankment but transitions from the clean sleek lines of the entry steps to the organic and natural landscape of the rear. Native groundcovers help to stabilise the soil and soften the rock terracing.

A bespoke pergola and patio area create an intimate location to the adjoining guest bedrooms encapsulating views of the tranquil rolling hills and bushland beyond.

Gravel lined organic paths, raised vegetable beds and grape vines create a space where the client can connect with nature and completes a landscape that is sympathetic to its surrounds and yet captures the sites unique features, creating a character of its own.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Welcome Corey


WAX Design would like to welcome Corey Brown to the company. Corey is a highly successful and enthusiastic third year student from the University of Adelaide. He is currently working towards completion of a Master’s degree in both landscape architecture and architecture. Welcome aboard!


Friday, June 8, 2012

Fleurieu District Parks Masterplan


 
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has engaged WAX design in collaboration with URPS to develop a Visitor Experience Plan for the parks of the Fleurieu District.   The plan focuses on aligning the expectations of current and future visitor markets to the experiences provided in the Fleurieu Parks.  The Visitor Experience Plan provides the basis for more detailed concept planning of priority sites within the context of the available resources.

WAX Design with URPS responded to DENR’s requirements in preparing the Plan, specifically the impact that population growth and a significant increase in visitors to key parks such as Deep Creek is having on park management, visitor experiences and biodiversity conservation.

Deep Creek and the Heysen Trail Parks were also identified as priority areas for investment in new tourism products including tours and eco accommodation.

The future of Granite Island’s penguin experience was also assessed in relation to refocussing and better connecting the Island with broader Marine Discovery experiences that include whale watching and encounters with other marine based wildlife.

Monday, May 14, 2012

WAX Goes WIld

WAX, in association with URPS (Urban and Regional Planning Services), Phillips Pilkington Architects, Lorraine Edmunds
(interpretation), EBS Ecology and Heinrich Consulting (cost surveyors) is pleased to have been awarded the opportunity to develop a Masterplan for Cleland Wildlife Park on behalf of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Since 2008, Cleland Wildlife Park (CWP) has been working to create a strategic direction for the future development of the Park experience. WAX is now be part of a collaborative process that will build on the CWP strategic plan andto create a new long term vision for the Park, with particular emphasis on the creation of ‘immersive wildlife experiences through the provision of high quality landscapes and interpretation that reinforce a new brand position of ‘close and inspiring wildlife connections’.

WAX is now working with the rest of the design team and park staff to expand and diversify the Park into a series of inter connected immersive habitat experiences that showcase the role of DENR in conserving South Australia’s fauna and flora promoting the stories of this state’s wildlife including extinct and endangered species encourage visitors to Cleland to actively engage in environmental action.