The Future of the Swanbourne Village
The existing Swanbourne Village precinct is an excellent model for the StateGovernments METRONET policy. Despite this there are several Local and StateGovernment initiatives that could threaten the very survival of this functioning ‘village’ atmosphere.
The Town of Claremont have initiated a study that considers the implications of increased density for the Claremont Crescent fronting existing commercial strip. The council asked the local community for their feedback on the proposed study. I applaud the council for taking this initiative. If only the Town of Cottesloe could also take such initiatives in projecting future growth to the local centre.
I have provided my own feedback to the Town of Claremont’s density study here. View here.
Main Roads WA has a planning proposal in place to remove the old Swanbourne railway bridge and replace it with a new one. There are a lot of issues with the proposed approach, and as a community we could have something so much better.
Swanbourne Village: Master Plan for a Sustainable Future
Below you will find a series of articles that look at the current bridge proposal and the issues. You’ll see examples of bad bridge redevelopments and many good ones. A good bridge will help build the community, and this means taking into account the local community residents, schools, businesses as well as road and public transport users.
I believe we need to have a much broader planning process that takes into account these other considerations. I’ve suggested some ideas for a better way to help community discussion. Read the articles below for a detailed look at the issues. The video to the right introduces the Master Plan I am suggesting the a New Swanbourne Village Scheme.
Neil Cownie, Architect.
#0 The Precinct – Swanbourne Bridge
This is the first in a series of posts that tease out the issues surrounding any new scheme for a replacement bridge within the Swanbourne Village precinct. Main Roads [...]
#1 Old Swanbourne Bridge
Here you can see the Swanbourne bridge and the Swanbourne village as it was in the early 1890’s. R G Oldham's Railway Station & Shops The bridge [...]
#2 Third Avenue Bridge
My fear is that without a review of process in the design of a replacement bridge in Swanbourne Village, we could very well end up with a new bridge [...]
#3 Seventh Avenue
What can we learn from examining the current Seventh Avenue Bridge and its predecessor? At the site of the existing bridge there is a convenient reminder of the history [...]
#4 Mt Lawley Station Bridge
The steel footbridge at Mt Lawley Train Station is the only access to the railway platform. What looks to be a temporary structure, is in fact a collection of [...]
#5 Swanbourne Aboriginal History
With the design of any new object, that object can provide relevance and meaning beyond its purely utilitarian purpose. Bringing additional meaning through the incorporation of relevant references in [...]
#6 Swanbourne European History
European influence in the Swanbourne precinct seems to have commenced around the late 1880. From the State Heritage WA website: "Claremont Crescent developed from the late 1880s with a [...]
#7 Swanbourne Hotel
The former Swanbourne Hotel (Inter-War Art Deco) was located on the corner of Claremont Crescent and Franklin Street, now the site of ‘The Beaumont’ aged care building. The loss [...]
#8 Koombana Bay Bridge
The Koombana Bay Footbridge over The Plug in the Leschenault Inlet in Bunbury is an example of a ‘design’ led solution and the value that such an approach brings [...]
#9 BIG Bridge Copenhagen
I discovered this bridge while experiencing the 2016 Dulux / Design Institute of Australia DIAlogue Scholarship tour. This incredibly simple bridge is adjacent to the ‘Mountain Dwellings’ residential development [...]
#10 Circle Bridge Copenhagen
This is another bridge that I discovered while experiencing the ‘Cirkelbroen’ bridge was designed by artist Olafur Elisson. This bridge is quite incredible and almost needs to be seen [...]
#11 Tulhus Bridge – Erik Andersson
While on the 2016 Dulux / Design Institute of Australia DIAlogue Scholarship tour we met with the Stockholm based architect Erik Andersson. We spent time in his office discussing [...]
#12 RV73 Bridge – Erik Andersson
The Swedish National Road Administration commissioned Erik Andersson Architects to lead the design of all twenty new bridges within the new 57-kilometre-long ‘Motorway 73’ project. From the architect’s website: [...]
#13 The Architect Bridge – Erik Andersson
Erik Andersson Architects were commissioned by the City of Gothenbery, Sweden, to design a new pedestrian bridge within an historically important precinct. The bridge has been named after one [...]
#14 Ruyi Bridge – China
This bridge serves pedestrians and cyclists, and was completed in Chengdu, China in 2018. The bridge was designed by ZZHK Architects. The bridge has been named ‘Ruyi’ after a [...]
#15 Cork Ireland Bridge – O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects
Completed in 2018, awarded Irish architectural practice, O’Donnell + Tuomey, has designed a long span laminated beam over a waterway within the University College Campus in Cork, Ireland. The [...]
#16 Bat Bridge – Next Architects
This new 25metre long bridge was designed by NEXT Architects and is located in the town of Monster, Netherlands. The concrete, brick and timber clad bridge is located along [...]
#17 Leederville & Claremont Bridges
The timber pedestrian bridge across the railway line at Claremont Station is a remaining example of the type of bridge that was found at numerous Perth to Fremantle line [...]
#18 Dawson’s Garden Centre
The Dawson's Garden Centre within the Swanbourne Village forms an integral part of the success of the local commercial centre. The garden centre draws people from outside the immediate [...]
#19 Swanbourne Village
The railway was laid in 1881 through land in the locality that is now Swanbourne as owned by Patrick Quinn, a Military Pensioner (Hillbrick, LN1977 IN pas Region – [...]
#20 Cottesloe Central Bridge
In researching bridges in the vicinity of Swanbourne Village, I came across the book ‘Heritage of Pines: a history of the town of Cottesloe Western Australia’ written by Ruth [...]
#21 Showgrounds Bridge
The Post Newspaper recently reported the official opening of the Ashton Avenue Bridge (otherwise known as the Showgrounds Bridge) by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti (15.9.19). The $10millon dollar bridge [...]
#22 Art Overlays
The difference between a utilitarian solution where the driving force is simply a compliance to standards and that of a ‘design led’ solution is the consideration of a broader [...]
#23 Swanbourne Village Parameters – Levels
From this diagram, central to the ‘Swanbourne Village’ is the existing bridge and the railway station. Businesses exist to both sides of the railway line central to the bridge. [...]
#24 Swanbourne Village Parameters – Community Hub
The ‘Swanbourne Village’ centre is comprised of three parts. To the north side along Claremont Crescent is the existing commercial area in a row of shops that have existed [...]
#25 Swanbourne Village – A Better Way
The Swanbourne Village precinct has history and a unique village atmosphere. The bridge redevelopment offers a chance to create a unique transport-oriented ‘town centre’, and the potential to unlock [...]
#26 Swanbourne Village – Call in the Cavalry
Here comes the cavalry! With Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) having settled their preferred location for a new bridge and now working towards design and costing of the proposed [...]
#27 Sydney Light Rail Bridge
This new pedestrian bridge provides access across a busy road to provide local community with access to Moore Park in Sydney as part of the Sydney light rail project. [...]
#28 Hamilton Street Bridge, Subiaco
The new Hamilton Street Bridge in Subiaco is the latest new bridge in as part of the State Government bridge replacement program. I would say that this standard utilitarian [...]
#29 Compare the Pair
Compare the pair. An underwhelming, reflective, and unattractive utilitarian solution that uses far more steel in its construction than does a well-designed light weight alternative. The utilitarian screening has [...]
#30 Opportunity not a Barrier
It is important that the replacement bridge for vehicles, and the potential ‘refurbishment’ of the existing bridge for bikes and pedestrians within the Swanbourne Village provides a civic feel [...]
#31 Rose Garden Bridge
The City of Hobart commissioned this new bicycle and pedestrian bridge known as ‘Brooker Bridge’ over busy roads in Hobart. The bridge has been described as operating like a [...]
#32 Somers Town Bridge
I recently discovered this excellent new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Regents Canal in London known as ‘Somers Town Bridge’. This elegant, slender and light weight steel bridge was [...]
#33 Swanbourne Village – Original Bridge
Here you can see the Swanbourne Village Bridge and the village at the train station site as it was in the early 1900’s. The following is a letter to [...]
#34 Bayswater Bridge
This is a photo of the former footbridge at the Bayswater train station form the early 1900’s. Bayswater Station, 1900 The Fremantle to Midland train line has [...]
#35 Main Roads WA Scheme
This is an image as prepared by Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) of the proposed replacement traffic bridge adjacent to the Swanbourne Village. MRWA were given the task by [...]
#36 NCA Scheme – The Big Picture
The future opportunities for the development of Swanbourne Village needs to be seen within the greater context of the wider locality. From this diagram it can be seen that [...]
#37 NCA Scheme – Master Plan
A vision for the community in the form of a ‘sustainable future’ for the Swanbourne Village. Here is my own vision that respects the existing unique character of the [...]
#38 NCA Scheme – Relocated Dawsons Garden Centre
Main Roads Western Australia’s proposed location for the replacement bridge will require the existing Dawsons Garden centre to move from its current location. The Dawsons Garden Centre is located [...]
#39 NCA Scheme – New Built Form
The proposed new replacement vehicle bridge as designed by Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) requires a ramp to its southern side to make connection with the existing ground level [...]
#40 NCA Scheme – A New Community Pedestrian Bridge
Most important to the ongoing viability of the local centre of the Swanbourne Village is the central connectivity of pedestrians and cyclists through the village on both sides of [...]
#41 NCA Scheme – Proposed Train Station Precinct
The existing Swanbourne train station lacks any presence to the street, with very understated points of entry, it is almost as if the points of entry to the Swanbourne [...]
#42 NCA Scheme – Swanbourne Village Market Day
I propose that the new civic spaces in my scheme for the sustainable future of the Swanbourne Village can serve as areas for weekend markets. What a wonderful experience [...]
#43 NCA Scheme – Pedestrian environment
The local community, and in particular, the Saladin Street residents, are concerned that the proposed relocated replacement bridge will create such efficiency in vehicle transfer across the bridge that [...]
#44 NCA Scheme – Cultural overlay
We have the potential to create a community centre within the Swanbourne Village that reflects a memory of place for the area's history. Historical events and stories that can [...]
#45 NCA Scheme – Centre of Excellence for a Sustainable Future
There is exciting potential for all new work within the Swanbourne Village centre to achieve high standards of sustainability. The Swanbourne Village precinct is uniquely placed to be able [...]
#46 NCA Scheme – An Alternative Pedestrian Bridge Design
Further to my post #40 in this series, there are of course many alternative options for the design of a pedestrian and cyclist bridge to connect the communities on [...]