Celebrating a 120-year history, Hornsby Shire Council’s Coronation StrEat Precinct, designed by Environmental Partnership and Brewer Architects, creates a community space where people can gather, rest and enjoy food together in Hornsby, NSW.
The project honours the site’s history as a former bakery and repurposes an existing carpark as a place to bring the community back together through outdoor dining and events after the pandemic. Funding was provided by the NSW Government Your High Street, a Covid recovery program.
In 1896 Coronation Street was known for the smell of freshly baked bread wafting across the cobblestones from Judge’s Bakery. The original building stood for more than 70 years; in homage a 1:1 scale replica has been constructed to describe the original outline.
New seating and tables, shaded by a Sydney Red Gum, invite people to enjoy take away dining opportunities from local businesses, as today the precinct is home to many culinary vendors.
The street furniture complements the unique public space, with significant tailoring of standard products to respond to design requirements, Emily So, Junior Associate Landscape Architect with Environmental Partnership, told StreetChat.
Curved shapes were selected in response to circular details on the heritage facades within the precinct, and to encourage social interaction.
“The circular shape is often associated with unity and interaction because of its continuous and unbroken form,” So said. “It can be used to encourage gathering spaces where people can come together, interact and engage in social activities.”
The Linea Lookout Table is tailored to be curved and height-adjusted to cater for people with different access requirements. “An accessible space is provided at the end with proper height in compliance with DDA requirements,” said So.
Achieving this required careful measuring on site by the Street Furniture Australia team, calculating the leg requirements to cater for both an uneven slope and differing height requirements, and attention to detail in manufacture.
The landscape architects additionally appreciated the flexibility of the Lookout Table – furnished on one side with Cafe Stools – to cater for people who want to sit together, or by themselves.
Linea Curved Benches are also specified, with Wood Without Worry aluminium battens in the warm and inviting shade of Spotted Gum, that offer Council easy ongoing maintenance.
The project also features public artworks by Fintan Magee, Elliott Routledge and Hugues Sineux that celebrate the history, environment and culture of Hornsby.
Coronation StrEat Precinct has received positive feedback from residents, visitors and businesses. So said, “The bar area in the micro plaza is proving very popular with locals, to ‘dine out’ on local food offerings from the nearby cafes and restaurants under the shade of the semi-mature tree.”
“Cyclists also use the space as a pit stop – a chance to have a rest on the bench or stools, fill their water bottle and use the repair station. People like to use the circular bench facing the street as a resting place – somewhere to sit and wait for their friends.”
Photography by Eva Shaw.
