Eastern Creek Quarter

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Arcadia’s landscape design for Frasers Property’s Eastern Creek Quarter retail precinct has used a number of strategies to draw people into the space. At the core of Arcadia’s concept was the vision to design a place that brings people together. The concept responds to local demographics to directly inform the programming and design, acknowledging the importance of creating a place accessible for younger families.

Understanding that a successful retail precinct is no longer just about what people can buy, Arcadia has designed ECQ Retail to be about experience, service and programming. Flexible spaces include the playground and outdoor cinema, overlooked by multiple seating zones to cater for a variety of group sizes, with ample incidental edges for social gathering, allowing for family friendly events and gatherings. Working with the design team, the landscape complements the compelling branding to create a site identity, using a visually appealing signage and wayfinding strategy.

Located in the Greater Western Sydney region, the site experiences some extreme temperatures. The importance of creating appropriate micro-climates was high on the agenda, as a place for people to escape the heat, with structures that provide protection against sun, wind and rain. These elements are particularly important in the playspace so people of all ages feel protected and comfortable, encouraging them to linger. To combat heat, the tree species selected are core members of the Shale Plains Woodland ecological community, which is well adapted to site soil and microclimate conditions. Clear trunks provide good surveillance through the site while the large canopies cast considerable shade to reduce heat island effect.

After developing the concept and design for the architectural pod play space at Eastern Creek Quarter, Arcadia collaborated with Tilt Industrial Design  to create the organic form and pod play structures. Tilt initially worked with Arcadia to complete a design study, with guidance on materiality and manufacturing options, and then went on to develop detailed documentation of the concept for fabrication and installation of the architectural pod play space. Materials and the design character of the play space are influenced by the surrounding parklands, and emerging landscaped space for the community.