At the Grove
At The Grove, nestled in Hurstville Grove, reimagines an abandoned carpark beside a local café as a lush rooftop garden for the community. Inspired by residents’ care for their front yards and a desire to revive native flora, the garden also gently addresses the café’s lack of natural light and space for pets. Just beyond, a bus stop awaits care in its absence of seating, a burden for elderly locals and students as they wait. This small but meaningful intervention will provide comfort and dignity where it’s most needed. Through the gentle transformation of forgotten space, At The Grove becomes a poetic gesture of renewal, that honours community spirit, embraces sustainability, and fosters a deeper sense of belonging and connection to Country.
Year
2023
Focus
Meeting Place
Site
Hurstville Grove, NSW
/ Site Research
Main Vegetation of Suburb
Space Analysis
The design focuses on reactivating abandoned spaces, maximising functionality for the café while fostering a welcoming, community-oriented environment for all users.
/ Design
The design is composed of three key elements: a rooftop garden, an extended café space that creates a pet-friendly environment with improved natural daylight through a new skylight, and a redesigned bus stop featuring comfortable, functional seating.
Exploded Axonometric Drawing
Communal Garden Plan
Section
/ Bus Stop Design
The bus stop is primarily used by students and elderly residents to access the nearby train station and shopping mall. The existing stop, marked only by a pole and lacking seating, offers little comfort or visibility, making it difficult for users to rest and sometimes easy for new drivers to overlook. The redesigned bus stop draws inspiration from the form of the local drooping bottlebrush, creating a structure that not only connects to the surrounding landscape but also serves as an extension of the communal garden.
At the Grove
At The Grove, nestled in Hurstville Grove, reimagines an abandoned carpark beside a local café as a lush rooftop garden for the community. Inspired by residents’ care for their front yards and a desire to revive native flora, the garden also gently addresses the café’s lack of natural light and space for pets. Just beyond, a bus stop awaits care in its absence of seating, a burden for elderly locals and students as they wait. This small but meaningful intervention will provide comfort and dignity where it’s most needed. Through the gentle transformation of forgotten space, At The Grove becomes a poetic gesture of renewal, that honours community spirit, embraces sustainability, and fosters a deeper sense of belonging and connection to Country.
Year
2023
Focus
Meeting Place
Site
Hurstville Grove, NSW
/ Site Research
Main Vegetation of Suburb
Space Analysis
The design focuses on reactivating abandoned spaces, maximising functionality for the café while fostering a welcoming, community-oriented environment for all users.
/ Design
The design is composed of three key elements: a rooftop garden, an extended café space that creates a pet-friendly environment with improved natural daylight through a new skylight, and a redesigned bus stop featuring comfortable, functional seating.
Exploded Axonometric Drawing
Communal Garden Plan
Section
/ Bus Stop Design
The bus stop is primarily used by students and elderly residents to access the nearby train station and shopping mall. The existing stop, marked only by a pole and lacking seating, offers little comfort or visibility, making it difficult for users to rest and sometimes easy for new drivers to overlook. The redesigned bus stop draws inspiration from the form of the local drooping bottlebrush, creating a structure that not only connects to the surrounding landscape but also serves as an extension of the communal garden.
At the Grove
At The Grove, nestled in Hurstville Grove, reimagines an abandoned carpark beside a local café as a lush rooftop garden for the community. Inspired by residents’ care for their front yards and a desire to revive native flora, the garden also gently addresses the café’s lack of natural light and space for pets. Just beyond, a bus stop awaits care in its absence of seating, a burden for elderly locals and students as they wait. This small but meaningful intervention will provide comfort and dignity where it’s most needed. Through the gentle transformation of forgotten space, At The Grove becomes a poetic gesture of renewal, that honours community spirit, embraces sustainability, and fosters a deeper sense of belonging and connection to Country.
Year
2023
Focus
Meeting Place
Site
Hurstville Grove, NSW
/ Site Research
Main Vegetation of Suburb
Space Analysis
The design focuses on reactivating abandoned spaces, maximising functionality for the café while fostering a welcoming, community-oriented environment for all users.
/ Design
The design is composed of three key elements: a rooftop garden, an extended café space that creates a pet-friendly environment with improved natural daylight through a new skylight, and a redesigned bus stop featuring comfortable, functional seating.
Exploded Axonometric Drawing
Communal Garden Plan
Section
/ Bus Stop Design
The bus stop is primarily used by students and elderly residents to access the nearby train station and shopping mall. The existing stop, marked only by a pole and lacking seating, offers little comfort or visibility, making it difficult for users to rest and sometimes easy for new drivers to overlook. The redesigned bus stop draws inspiration from the form of the local drooping bottlebrush, creating a structure that not only connects to the surrounding landscape but also serves as an extension of the communal garden.