Keating's big vision

c.2006 BY HILL THALIS + URBAN + BERKEMEIER + IRWIN

c.2007 BY HILL THALIS + URBAN + BERKEMEIER + IRWIN

2009 BY BARANGAROO DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

c.1984 FUTURE PM SIDE ELEVATION

(Image displayed for purposes of group study)

Former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating, has over the last decade or so made known his interest in the built fabric of Sydney. He has been involved in the East Darling Harbour project since he was a member of the jury of the 2005 competition. Last year he was appointed to chair the Barangaroo Development Authority , which has been steering the design development of the East Darling Harbour design behind closed doors.

About this time last year, the winners of the 2005 competition, Philip Thalis et al, vented in the SMH that their design had been steadily nibbled at by planners and financial engineers… “eroding the integrity of the competition project.” The leasable area of the project has escalated from 300K sqm to over 500K, and “superlots” have been introduced – big developers will control big land parcels.

Keating and friends were also busy snipping away at the site design during this time. The SMH reports, “after the judging, Keating had no formal position but he was the man to whom the competition winners were sent to discuss the modifications.” Modifications that Keating happily admits are his own. The SMH:

Unknown to most, his personal vision for the disused container wharves at Darling Harbour has quietly been confirmed in documents ticked off by the Planning Department last week. He’s got what he wants and is happy to take the credit. ‘‘I am fundamentally the founder of the scheme,’‘ he said after the documents were released.

This picturesque vision requires a great area of the wharf to be demolished to affect a natural coastline, not to mention an artificial hill full of cars smoothing the lines of Millers Point. Keating couldn’t believe Thalis and all the other architects hadn’t done that (possibly due to the northern side of the point being outside the 2005 brief).

The winning architects have not been spotted on any of the official sites for a good while. Paul Berkemeier was on the design review panel until it was phased out. The winning designers have been shown the door, and the development panel who apparently know better will finish it off.

The mud is being thrown higher and higher. ®AIA NSW President Brian Zulaika wrote a letter in the SMH last week. After comparing PK to Prince Charles, he wrote that “any worthwhile public space needs the combined skills of architects and landscape architects – and an enlightened client.” Keating got the jibe, and responded with this ranine piece. “I notice Brian Zulaikha, running out there, little toady, running out there supporting the architects. They were quite happy for me to urge the Carr government to reserve half of Barangaroo for open space so they can then go out there and put the hand of man and concrete all over it.’‘

Odd that Keating finds it sycophantic for the NSW Institute president to be supporting the design professions. And it’s just too late at night to know where to start with that “hand of man” comment.

It all sounds and looks such a mess that perhaps the whole project should be mothballed for 20 years. Just turn it into a carbon soaker in the meantime. The half million square metres of workstations and attached workers could be put somewhere else… how about Penrith?

ALSO:
Hill Thalis et al’s really long letter to NSW Planning, September 2009.

FOOTER, just continuing Elvis ’68 comeback theme of the day.

Posted by Peter on 20.09.09 in urban planning