K2K Urban Design
2017 National Award of Excellence - Urban Design
2017 New South Wales Award of Excellence - Urban Design
Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects
JMD design
The K2K precinct covers the town centres of Kensington and Kingsford, on the strategically important Anzac Parade corridor in eastern Sydney. The precinct is undergoing major change with the introduction of light rail and is under significant pressure for growth. The K2K project was the result of an Urban Design Competition which aimed to work with the community to articulate a new town centre vision to inform a long-term planning strategy that would deliver urban design excellence and sustainability.
This project was developed through a close collaboration of both landscape architect and architect, working together to deliver a fully integrated, high quality urban design which not only accommodates future growth but greatly improves local amenity and liveability within an existing urban fabric. All design 'moves' are underpinned by a sound understanding of the history, natural environment and attributes of the place.
The project reinvigorates the Anzac Parade boulevard enabling it to regain its grandeur with new buildings and landscape of urban scale. The ancient north-south millstream and valley has been revealed as a generous green spine with new linear parklands, wetlands and water course alongside which new residential accommodation can develop. A network of liveable east-west streets has been proposed to further enhance amenity as the population densities increase. And new public spaces in the form of civic squares and sizeable parks are carefully located to ensure activity clusters and amenity are connected and readily accessible to all.
The resulting urban design framework not only articulates an inspired vision for the future, it sets out principles and strategies to achieve what could become some of Sydney's most desirable places. In doing so, it demonstrates how growth and change, if managed well, can add significantly to the amenity, liveability and sustainability of our communities.
