2016 National Architecture Awards: Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design

Jury citation

Bowen Place Crossing is a refined and confident piece of urban design, with a graceful pedestrian and cycling path inserted along a popular route at Lake Burley Griffin. This generous pathway carves an elegant arc as the user descends from Kings Avenue towards the lake, replacing a busy and hazardous crossing. The result transforms what could have been a traditional underpass into an immersive and pleasurable experience. Cutting the curve into the slope, precast concrete segments line the outer wall and form a sweeping path. The wall rises as you approach the road above, which has been split in either direction, allow ample light underneath. The effect is uplifting. Rather than the claustrophobic underpass of memory, there is instead a feeling of lightness and increased security. With Corten steel lining the inner wall and subtle landscaping, the new path offers framed views as well as a new landscaped inner garden that gives a sense of continuity with the nearby National Gallery of Australia sculpture garden. This is an exceptional project, highly considered and an enduring contribution to Canberra’s public domain.

Read the project review by Roger Pegrum from Architecture Australia Mar/Apr 2016.