Large grassy area between the cafe and the playground being unused
The Northshore cafe, the only apparent eatery in Northshore
Northshore Beach. A little sad looking and could do with some sprucing up a little to incise more people to the location
Large grassy area behind the beach with a great view, also being unused
Northshore Beach coming in from the walking track
Lots of places to sit and look at the view along the walking track, coming up to the Northshore cafe
The small kids playground providing children with the only form of entertainment currently at Northshore along the walking path
Northshore Hamilton Wharf
The view from the walking track of the Brisbane River
The view of the walking track from the walking track of the Brisbane River
The walking track just past the compass
The compass on the walking track of Northshore. A little difficult to see that it’s a compass unless it’s pointed out to you
People walking their dog along Northshore
The Glenn Corp water tank – Not yet open to the public but able to be walked into
Large amounts of the wharf timbre
Large unused space of land to the right of Northshore, currently unavailable to the public
Two of the unused wharfs/docks
City Ferry along the Brisbane River
Solar lights currently being used throughout Northshore
A working ship along the Brisbane river, kind of referring back to the history of Portside being an important dock for the whole of Brisbane and workers
View of the Brisbane river from the right side of Northshore… Needs a little sprucing up
The Deck, one of the only shady places in Northshore and home to some of the only public bathrooms as well
Key Features of Northshore:
Little to no shade
Oversized carpark
Breezy
Water tank able to be open and walked into
Large grassy areas around the cafe going unused
2 docks/wharfs going unused
Large amount of unused wharf timbre
110 colourful bouys able to be repurposed
What Makes Northshore Distinctive?
Eat Street – Large food culture
Industrial
Quiet
Marine/port history
Isolated
Close to Portside eateries
Massive carpark going unused during the day
Easy access to international visitors (i.e. close to the airport and docks for cruises
Largest riversite in Brisbane – Larger than Southbank!
Active lifestyle – Lots of walking and bike riding space
My first idea of a concept proposal was to do a weekly eatery with the culture of the food changing every week, I then realised that it was pretty much just doing a selective eat street in the same area. Not a good idea so I moved on quite quickly.
Idea 1 Moodboard
Idea 2
My second idea was inspired by the digital aspect of the assignment along with the ‘Hidden Honeysuckle’ project that was presented to us in the week 1 tutorial. The idea of the app and using multiple locations of the site interested me. I decided that I could possibly design an app to be used among friends and families as a digital scavenger hunt. People would download the app and there would be 30-45 minutes of the game for them to go around singularly or in pairs and take pictures with as many things on the list as possible, with the app or the locations providing key insights into Northshore and it’s past along the way. When the timer went off, people would have the ability to share their favourite post to social media with the hashtag ‘NorthshoreScavengerhunt’ in order to win a coupon to a local cafe or free entry into Eat Street later that week to further promote other locations and sites along Northshore.
Idea 2 Moodboard
Idea 3
My third ideas possibly one that stemmed off my second idea when I was coming up short with possible locations to be used in the scavenger hunt. I was thinking of using the 14km worth of timbre that was mentioned in the brief, in order to construct a park for the children, made out of natural materials such as that of New Farm Park, and further including on the concepts of the Honeysuckle projects ‘Honeysuckle Hopscotch’ in the way it used yellow and light pink in order to reflect the suns rays and heat off of the surface to provide a cooler location for visitors. This would provide a nicer environment for the kids to play at in the park as it wouldn’t get too hot, would add colour, and would provide further scavenger hunt locations for the app. I however realised that this was basically just making another New Farm Park and was very unoriginal. So once again, I moved on.
Idea 3 Moodboard
Idea 4
My fourth idea is to create a maze out of shipping/cargo containers. The public would be able to come down to the painting sessions that Northshore would hold and as a community paint the containers using colours such as yellow and pink to reflect the suns rays and the heat, once again using the Honeysuckle’s Hopscotch idea to provide a vibrant and cool environment for the community. The painting as a community to contribute to this project would also develop the cultural connections and celebrations of art as per the Activation Strategy Pillar in the client brief. There would however also be the incorporation of blue and carving patterns of water ripples and other aquatic themes into the cargo containers to allow for some airflow, sunlight, and views out to the to link back to the riverside aspect of Northshore and pay tribute to the heritage as an important port of Brisbane. The maze runs the risk of blocking the view of the waterfront which is looked down upon in the redevelopment of a water city, however with strategic placement of the maze, we are able to not further block the view of the river from the community, and carving patterns into the containers will allow those inside to also see the view of the waterfront. Having the project deliverable in stages would also create suspense as the community paints the containers, but then waits until they’re fully set up to be able to use them.
Idea 4 Moodboard
Idea 5
Stemming off the maze idea after I finally went to the site visit on March 5th and experienced the HEAT, I decided that shade was definitely needed at Northshore. So my fifth idea is still incorporating the cargo containers, community painting of the colours in order to reflect heat and provide a chance at cooling the area, and carving of water and aquatic themes into the metal, I was thinking of dismantling the containers and propping them up on the unused wharf wood to make sheeted shade roofs along the entire walkway of Northshore. The thin sheeted material and raw wooden beams would match the surrounding industrial site and trees lining the riverside walkway, making the shelter blend in but also providing necessary shade and the carved patterns shining onto the walkway to provide a form of interest as the active community walks through Northshore. However as much as Northshore needs shade I moved away from this idea as apart from the community painting the dismantled cargo/shipping containers, there is no further engagement which is a key part of what Northshore is looking for in their projects.