SMITHFIELD STREET, GYMPIE

Description: 

The upgrade of Smithfield Street, Gympie is aimed at increasing pedestrian amenity and aesthetic quality, and to enhance opportunities to develop this area into an ‘Eat Street’ within the CBD creating a unique point of difference.

TOD headed a team consisting of Landscape Architects (Place) and Electrical Engineers (Webb) in collaboration with Gympie Regional Council and store holders.  TOD’s role during construction was to assist Council’s project management team in an advisory role.  This flexibility of in-house management resulted in the local workforce gaining experience and skills.

Council elected to undertake the construction using their in-house day labor crews, this was a new process for a street scape job.  This innovative approach was undertaken to enhance the skills of the local workforce.  Feedback from the crews was that this approach saved them significant time during the construction phase.

Footpaths were widened and re-designed to enhance greater pedestrian access and to seamlessly meet with the current road levels, creating less hazards and greater disability access.

Tree cell systems (9 of) were installed under the major tree plantings. The cells allow for a greater root establishment, improving the future health whist lessening the potential to impact structures and surfaces.

Catenary lighting has created a unique point of difference for the streetscape and enables the creation of lighting effects suited to various functions and uses. A focus on footpath spaces, key nodes, public artworks and feature planting elements were also installed within the streetscape. The centenary lighting system uses environmentally sustainable RBGW LED lighting.

Underground conduits were included for future technologies such as fibre optic cables and ability to install electric car recharging points to provide future growth of the CBD with considering to the Smart Cities Plan.

The public artwork was created by local artists, one artist born in Gympie, along with two Sunshine Coast artists, and included “Gympie Place Markers” and integrated artworks into barrier railings.