Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
ASPECT Studios left a lasting mark on the beloved Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk by designing and delivering both the popular elevated boardwalk extension that traverses the clifftops, as well as a major post-storm renewal and redevelopment project a decade later.
The boardwalk resolves complex geotechnical, structural and heritage conditions. The 515-metre-long walkway traverses Sydney’s eastern cliff tops and is in equal parts a ribbon of movement though the sublime landscape, and a place for people to stop and embrace a piece of significant environmental and cultural heritage. Designed with the intention of touching the environment as lightly as possible, the materials of the boardwalk change from timber to gridded fiberglass, allowing light and water through to the underlying vegetation.
Read more +
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND The Gadigal of the Eora Nation
- Client Waverley Council
- Location Calga Reserve and Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, Australia
-
Year
2006 - 2009 (Stage 1)
2016 - 2018 (Stage 2)
In 2016, the walk was left badly damaged in the wake of a storm surge and closed due to safety concerns. This created a rare opportunity to rethink, redevelop and restore the famous track.
ASPECT Studios returned to repair and preserve the site’s important cultural and natural heritage. Damage to the Waverley Cemetery, the erosion of the cliff faces, and a loss of the feeling of sanctity that once defined a visit to the walkway imperiled the heritage value of the cemetery and contributed to management and operational problems.
ASPECT Studios returned to repair and preserve the site’s important cultural and natural heritage. Damage to the Waverley Cemetery, the erosion of the cliff faces, and a loss of the feeling of sanctity that once defined a visit to the walkway imperiled the heritage value of the cemetery and contributed to management and operational problems.
A 3000m² area of the gully that the storm inundated has been remediated and redeveloped, with extensive native endemic planting, erosion control, and the capturing and filtering of stormwater through tiered biofiltration swales, as well as a hanging swamp which also helps naturally irrigate these areas. A new system of sea walls and defensive structures will protect the embankment from sea level change for the next century.
The Walk marks a major contribution to Sydney's Great Coastal Walk, a multi-agency project to massively expand the amount of publicly-accessible waterfront in Syndey.
Read more +
- TEAM ASPECT Studios, Jeffery & Katauskas, Ducros Design, Hard & Forester, Biodesign
- AWARDS 2010 Australian Timber Design Awards - Outdoor Timber / Central Region, Highly Commended
- Photography Florian Groehn
The project in both of these completed phases has a clear design language, using simple materials. The walkway shifts and slides along the movement path to reveal the story of the clifftop landscape – including the hanging swamps, exposed rock outcrops and a unique, habitat-rich ecology. The walk has improved safety, accessibility, and amenity, while artfully engineering a richer journey.
