Parks for People: Nandi Reserve, Frenchs Forest

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Arcadia was the lead consultant for the creation and delivery of Nandi Reserve, situated on the land of the Garigal people, a bushland park next to the Wakehurst Parkway. The 12-hectare Nandi Reserve was identified by the NSW Government Parks for People program as a legacy space with the potential to use innovative design to deliver a park for future generations to enjoy.

Arcadia has embraced the natural qualities of the site, preserving and strengthening the habitat through regeneration and tree planting.

Nandi Reserve is now used by locals for the new connections to the nearby Northern Beaches Hospital precinct and circulation path that allows for exercise and connection with nature. A nature playground, featuring stepping logs, totem poles and a climbing net, is a much-loved addition for the local families and visitors. Its simplicity allows imaginative use by children of all ages.

Nandi Reserve was designed and constructed in a way that had minimal impact on this ecologically sensitive site. With the body of the site in pristine condition, endemic planting has been used for shade and screening, with planting in zones to soften the transition between constructed and natural bushland, and to provide informal wayfinding through the new pathways.