Paddington reservoir gardens is a reimagination of a former water reservoir in Sydney, Australia, that was decommissioned in 1899. A team of designers, led by Sydney-based Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, was commissioned by the Sydney City Council to transform the disused site of the long-crumbled reservoir into a modern urban park. The city anticipated that the new park would replace the subterranean infrastructure. But instead of simply capping the reservoir ruins and building open space on top, the designers used the existing structure to create a public space that seamlessly merges Sydney’s past and present.

This space is a new model for adaptive use and preservation of heritage in dense urban areas, creating a reminder of the relatively recent past while also providing a respite from city life. By injecting a long-forgotten piece of municipal infrastructure with new life through strategic structural and landscape design interventions, a thoroughly modern public space has emerged.

Developer/Owner
City of Sydney
Sydney, NSW, Australia

Architect
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Sydney, NSW, Australia

Landscape Architect
James Mather Delaney Design Pty Ltd
Redfern, NSW, Australia

Website
www.tzg.com.au/projects/paddington-reservoir

Principal Author(s)
Theodore Thoerig, Adrienne Schmitz, Annie Finkenbinder-Best

ULI Awards for Excellence 2011 Winner