Acton Waterfront Lake Beach

Place Logic were engaged to provide landscape architectural design services for the Acton Waterfront Lake Beach project, for the ACT Government - City Renewal Authority. The design’s focus is a “lake beach” which physically connects people to Lake Burley Griffin’s West Basin and enables a variety of activities for different user groups. The beach functions as a terminus to the new West Basin boardwalk and maintains a consistent material palette with these concurrent works, connecting seamlessly into active travel routes between the City and ANU (Australian National University). The landscape upgrades also introduce more public furniture, pathway lighting, and a lawn area for informal play, entertainment and quiet activities.

Our landscape team iteratively coordinated the design with contractor and engineering inputs with feedback from the NCA (National Capital Authority) and stakeholder groups such as Triathlon Australia. Transitional levels and materials interfaces between water, sand, hard paths, and planted areas, including landscape treatments to varying speeds of pedestrian and cycling junctions, were honed from concept to construction. We were able to retain 90% of the site’s existing trees despite creation of a new beach and realignment of the paths network. The design was developed through analysis of the lake’s bathymetry contours, above and below-ground major services, detailed tree assessment information., and design documentation of concurrent lakeshore works.

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