Number 3 goes to...

The Southbank Parkland precinct is coveted as one of the world’s best green spaces, offering an exciting alternative to the historically understood city park.  It provides a series of vastly different parkland experiences, connected by the stunning Arbour walk with its trained Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra) providing a ribbon of colour for city viewers.

The Arbour is a 1km installation of steel beams rising to the sky, and although bemoaned as unattractive by some, is an essential element in the parkland’s success.  Without the connecting flow of this ribbon pathway, the special experiences with the parkland would feel disjointed and congested.  By providing a formal walk people are directed away from the park spaces and along the linking device of the Arbour, which also provides an enchanting user experience. 

Like the Arbour, great design involves using tools to direct movement between zones to enhance the user experience and avoid congested spaces.  In our own private gardens, linking spaces with elements such as plinths and pathways to direct flow will organise movement and allow for better experience throughout the garden. 

Image : Brisbane Marketing