Construction has started on the new Connect South project by the City of South Perth and DENMAC are excited to have been chosen to fabricate the iconic centrepieces of the Mends Street Piazza.
Architects iredale pedersen hook & Place Laboratory have designed an eye-catching and engaging area for visitors to South Perth. The Connect South project will encompass sections of the Mends Street Jetty foreshore, Mends Street, Harper Terrace and Windsor Park.
“The Connect South project is about creating a positive environment, both economically and socially to support the growth of the South Perth Peninsula and greater region. The project is focused on improved access to transport, improved public amenity and greater economic opportunity.”
Bringing the Zoo to the River
The Mends Street Piazza is designed to create a vibrant town centre that is fun by day and vibrant by night. The designs will champion the local wildlife and highlight the animals at the Perth Zoo. Features of the project include architectural lighting, projected light art, sculptures, artworks, shelters, seating, tables and bike racks.
DENMAC has been awarded the contract to build the giant native animals that will canopy the piazza. The animal’s abstract design was created to reflect folded origami shapes and will be fabricated using plate aluminium.
Although original concepts for the canopy animals included foreign animals like lions, tigers, ostriches, monkeys and orangutans, after community input the decision was made to highlight Western Australian native fauna so a numbat and frilled neck lizard were selected as the final design.
DENMAC will be creating the animals from a combination of plate and ribbed aluminium. The eye-catching designs will be finished with geometric patterns in paint and perforations to give a transparent effect.
The Mends Street Piazza and the native animal canopies will feature in Stage 1 of the Connect South project with the expected completion date of December 2019. Further stages of the project will extend up Mends Street, Harper Terrace and through Windsor Park towards the Perth Zoo.
DENMAC is excited to be building the vibrant structures that will become iconic in Perth for many years.
The project is currently in the design and engineering phase and will begin fabrication in March 2019.