Seeds of change

A plant nursery is perhaps not the first place you would expect to encounter innovative architectural design. After all, people frequenting a garden centre are generally there for the foliage.

This is, however, not the case in the North Sydney suburb of Ryde, where Eden Gardens provides a blend of horticultural retail stores and community services. The retail element comprises a mix of nursery, bookshop, gift shop, cafe and gallery, whilst the services include function rooms, event and theatre space, community and youth education facilities and areas for art, sculpture and garden exhibitions and competitions.

Owner Simon Ainsworth envisioned a multi-functional environment that combined his love of gardening and the arts, as well as his aspirations for enhancing the local community spirit.

"The proposal invited a fresh approach to combine retail and community services. The design had to interpret the simplicity of the concept and also be shaped by sustainable design principles," he says.

Ainsworth enlisted the services of architects HBO + EMTB to help develop the concept into a workable format. Architect Lionel Glendenning says the design brief suggested a need to make an iconic statement that would be instantly recognisable within the surrounding landscape.

"The retail concept was a bold one, and the architectural forms had to encompass this ambition. As well as successfully integrating the retail spaces with community services, the architectural challenge was to signal this distinct change in the retail nursery experience," he says.

The focal point of the facility is an undulating series of steel panels that create a large canopy. The structure stretches 12m high at its apex and is recognisable from the nearby major arterial routes.

Representative of a palm frond, the iconic nature of the canopy, which marks the entrance to the complex, has already been given nicknames by the local populace. "The Cockatoo" and the "North Shore Opera House" are particular favourites.

Consisting of eleven 9m x 7m panels, each section of the canopy weighs about four tonnes and is supported by tapered steel struts. Climbing vines have been planted in the roofing gutter and will eventually grow to entwine around the steel mesh and provide the canopy with an organic character.

Parking at Eden Gardens is underground so as not to impair the aesthetic created by the architecture and also to allow maximum use of space. The building on which the canopy sits houses retail, gallery and conference facilities and extends along the urban side of the site. The gardens back on to a national park and occupy most of the complex, which also contains an outdoor amphitheatre, elevated walkways and a children's playground.

"This primary building acts as a permeable architectural filter, connecting the gardens with the landmark structure. The numerous entrances along it allow people to disperse through to their destination of choice instead of them being herded toward a point of sale," Glendenning says.

Sustainability and intelligent energy usage are represented by design features such as natural cross ventilation, louvred windows, a roof window over the entrance and solar water heating. Water conservation is also emphasised with water run-off being recycled for both irrigation purposes and the local bushfire management system. These environmentally sensitive measures seek to preserve the area and, coupled with the complex's varied services, impress eco-friendly ideals onto the larger community, the owner says.

"The broader services and varied programmes go beyond the customers' expectations. This combination encourages community spirit, interaction and return visits," says Ainsworth.

"It's a unique place of commerce, pleasure, education, inspiration and motivation," adds the architect.

Story by: Trendsideas