Queens Park Playground

November 5, 2020 by Tom Leggatt

Description Queens Park is a significant recreation and nature-based parkland surrounded by the Barwon River. A small obsolete playground existed and was identified in a recent master plan as a site for a major new playground. This was backed by the Geelong Play Strategy, which suggested that Queens Park should have sub-regional status. A concept plan was developed which used existing large trees and rope-based elements to create a climbing traversing playground. A large pine had to be removed due […]

Categories: Play • Tags: best playground, cool playground, Geelong, kids, play, Playground, Queens Park

Ritchie Palm Grove

March 3, 2018 by Tom Leggatt

   Description An upgrade of an existing palm grove at a prominent area of Geelong’s waterfront. The area is a border between 2 different styles of the waterfront. I designed around the strong grid pattern of the palms that could be read from the hill nearby and on the ground. The pattern has been accentuated by custom concrete rings, elevated to form mounds at each palm and internally lit at night for accent. The barren gravel area was replaced with lawn […]

Categories: Play, Plazas, Urban Structure and Furniture • Tags: Geelong, geelong cool, Geelong Waterfront, lighting geelong, waterfront

Cunningham Forecourt and pedestrian crossings

February 11, 2018 by Tom Leggatt

This project was born from a need to make it safer to cross the main road between the waterfront and the town center. The area was identified in the strategic Laneways and Linkages program partnering with the traffic unit of Geelong council. From the initial small pedestrian crossing set across Western Beach rd we extended the scope to include the whole forecourt to Cunningham pier and partnered with other departments to develop an integrated vision. The vision included, safe pedestrian/cyclist […]

Categories: Pedestrian Links, Streetscapes, Urban Design • Tags: Cunningham pier, geelong cool, landscape architect, landscape architecture, Low carbon concrete, pedestrian crossing, smart city, waterfront, waterfront geelong, Western beach road

Gateway Sanctuary Playground

February 10, 2018 by Tom Leggatt

Description Gateway Sanctuary is a nature reserve at the bottom of Leopold hill that incorporates indigenous plantings, lakes, bridges, paths and shelters. The area was identified for a new sub-regional playground and the concept was based around nature play in keeping with the surrounds. It is Geelong’s first major nature based playground. Once a concept plan had been adopted by the community we started to collect logs from normal tree felling across Geelong. These logs were numbered and designed into […]

Categories: Play, Sustainability • Tags: best playground, cool playground, Geelong, kids, Leopold, Leopold playground, nature play, play, Playground

Leopold Memorial

August 12, 2017 by Tom Leggatt

Description Leopold Memorial Recreation Reserve was land gifted to government for returned WW1 soldiers of the district to convalesce in 1926. In 2016 a committee was formed by local people to finally honour the local returned soldiers. A grant was received and Council also funded some of the project. A standard design was submitted based on similar memorials in the region. My brief was to make it a reality and design/project manage. I argued that we shouldn’t be building an […]

Categories: Pedestrian Links, Plazas, Urban Design, Urban Structure and Furniture • Tags: Geelong, geelong cool, Leopold, Leopold Memorial, Leopold Recreation Reserve, Memorial, Memorial cool

Corio GPT

August 6, 2016 by Tom Leggatt

Corio Gross Pollutant Trap The Corio GPT, (Gross Pollutant Trap), is part of a larger group of works to clean  stormwater before it enters creeks and the bay. The area identified for this particular GPT was the major shopping centre of the region. Various other WSUD treatments were considered  but site characteristics ruled them out. In general, it is notoriously difficult to get a GPT to perform to the best practice environmental standards or suppliers to state the true limits […]

Categories: Sustainability • Tags: Corio, GPT, Gross pollutant trap, stormwater

Jetty Rd Playground

August 6, 2016 by Tom Leggatt

  Description Identified in the Geelong play strategy, the Jetty rd recreation reserve was identified for a new sub-regional playground. The state government and CoGG jointly funded the project. The site was a gently sloping paddock near some tennis courts. There was no masterplan for the recreation reserve so a quick overall sketch plan was done to maximise future connections and synergies.  Basic concepts for the project were to have some street presence, linking pathways with the various external entrances, […]

Categories: Play, Sustainability • Tags: Bellarine penninsula, best playground, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Geelong playground, Jetty rd, landscape architect, landscape architecture, Playground

Quay lawns

July 30, 2016 by Tom Leggatt

Description Revamp of a prominent area of Geelong’s waterfront. The 2 small existing gravel areas were underutilised and degraded. I was asked to come up with a low cost design to reinvigorate the area. The idea was to remove the barren gravel areas and install mounded lawns that hug your back looking out to the bay. The sculptural balls add to the whimsy both day and night and provide informal seating. Project Role Concept design Design and Documentation Tender and […]

Categories: Play, Urban Structure and Furniture • Tags: Geelong, geelong cool, Geelong Waterfront, Light balls, lighting geelong, waterfront

Drysdale Town Centre

July 25, 2016 by Tom Leggatt

Description This project was informed by the Drysdale/Clifton Springs Urban Design Framework, Structure Plan and Inquiry by Design. The main problem identified was an expanding town both in population and housing causing a dislocation in the sense of a central town, a place to meet and to interact, the civic heart. The central area has a green space with surrounding retail and supermarket including Senior Citizens facilities. The above concept masterplan for the area takes into consideration the earlier work […]

Categories: Plazas, Streetscapes, Urban Design • Tags: Clifton Springs, Drysdale, landscape architect, landscape architecture