International award to Kangaroo Valley project
1 Oct 11
BIG ROCK (in Kangaroo Valley) is a place where owners and their friends escape from the city on a weekly basis to indulge in activities close to nature.
The location of the jetty/gazebo is on the edge between the dam and forest.
The jetty is suspended above the water and the gazebo is suspended toward the trees.
A slight imbalance created by positioning of the storage room defines the size of each part.
The jetty is larger and caters to more social activity such as swimming, fishing and picnics at sunset.
The smaller gazebo is quieter: a place of reflection, watching the birds and reading a book.
No part of the deck touches the water or forest emphasising respect to those natural elements.
The form is essentially made of two horizontal planes: deck and roof. The crux was to provide the relationship with nature by enhancing a composition created by the forces of nature and to draw attention to itand the role of the designer was to provide the point from which this nature can be appreciated and interacted with.
The Jetty/Gazebo is such a point taking its strength from its surrounds. There are some 90 winners in these International Architecture Awards from 30 countries, where the organisers focus on excellence in architecture and urbanism. Prestige is determined by quality of projects, reach, quality of participants and jurors.
It is thought that the most participated and best organised is World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, then International Design Awards in Los Angeles and the International Architecture Awards based in Chicago.
Big Rock Jetty (built by local Rod Driver) was recognised in all three award programs.