M2 Motorway, NSW:
Esperance seeks to address the immediate site’s existing elements and conditions while connecting to a broader tapestry in its surrounding environment. It contends that through a series of sustainable landscape, technological and cultural interventions it delivers a compelling addition and renewal of the land located adjacent to the Hills M2 Motorway at Macquarie Park. Its curvilinear footprint and mounding system allow for the creation of bioswales and riparian bands which feed remnant vegetation and transfer filtered overflow to the adjacent detention basin and creek nearby. This regeneration creates hubs for wildlife to prosper, specifically bird species, through natural and built systems. The highly exposed nature and openness of the site lends itself to the implication of solar energy systems
As a visually compelling device the curvilinear mound that twists at an epicentre of energy. The 1 to 2.5m high and 200m long mounding system also creates a secondary buffer to the motorway and abates pollutants harmful to natural ecosystems. Recycled steel is used to create frames and the panels that are later cladded with art and solar panels in the built form which stands around 6m high
Evoking aesthetic curiosity the long spanning mounds gain momentum into a spiral of energy that loops at an epicentre visible from the adjacent motor lanes and afar from commercial and residential buildings. In the centre a prismed sculpture stands. Slowly rotating throughout the day its mosaic panels of solar sheets, art and plant-supporting mesh share views to all audiences within the wide viewing radius and collect sun energy. This build-up of landform and sculptural peak symbolises the momentum of energy in the passing of vehicles adjacent. It also primarily evokes the sense of new growth on the rehabilitated site. Two sets of fins, larger and smaller, are mounted on separate disks giving the impression of a living organism as they revolve. The aesthetic and functional balance of the built and natural forms seek to express the harmony between the built and natural environment and their respective processes.
