re:inventspring 2013 people, places, perth an Mra publication

breathing new life into

urban places

welcome to re:inventSince the Industrial Revolution, the world has pursued the new, the fashionable, the next. Increasingly, though, many people feel uncomfortable with the ‘more, more’ attitude and the disposable nature of modern society. The growth of such sentiments has seen the birth of movements locally and globally that are prompting us to take a step back and reconsider how we use our resources — both material and human capital. There is an interest in examining how we used to live and exploring new ways to recapture our history and heritage. Environmental challenges mean reinventing, recycling, recreating and renewing have taken on a sense of urgency as we try to blend the best of the past with the present. The results of such a mélange can be extraordinary. From a pair of jeans created by craftspeople who use cutting-edge technology to record personal history, to a built-to-last but obsolete railway workshop reclaiming its place as a community hub; the desire to reinvent is being embraced in neighbourhoods and cities around the world.

contentSthe spotlight

Check out the great things

happening around Perth.

NeighBoURhooD people

Meet some of the people

of Armadale.

the poweR of ReiNveNtioN

Reinventing our past to prepare

for the future.

RetURNiNg pavemeNt

to people

Transforming spaces for cars

into places for people.

chaNge of tRack

From historic site to urban village

at the Midland Railway Workshops.1264

2218 all that’s old is new again

Re: is published by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority Editor: Mills Wilson Communication Consultants Art Direction and Design: Block (BlockBranding.com)

Some of the views expressed in this magazine are personal and may not necessarily be those of the MRA and no responsibility is accepted for those views or their subsequent effects.

Re: is printed on 50% recycled, Australian-made paper. The manufacturing of the paper complied with environmental standard ISO 14001. Please recycle.

Cover: Platypus by ROA (detail), mural on Midland Railway Workshops’ Foundry building, commissioned by FORM, 2011.Courtesy Philip Gostelow

Courtesy FORMCourtesy Stephen NicollsCourtesy Kyle Hughes-Odgers

Courtesy Iwan Baan

Bringing together 134 masterworks

from New York’s Museum of Modern

Art, this exhibition features 96 artists

who transformed modern art in the

20th Century.

Featuring the works of artists

including Cézanne, Klimt, Modigliani,

Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Dalí,

Picasso, Kahlo and Koons, The World

Reimagined traces the reinvention of

van gogh, dalĺ and beyond:the world reiMagined

what’S Scarborough to you?

the SpotlightTake a new look at some old favourites in a city that’s reinventing itself.

a Side of Street art

Close your eyes and picture

Scarborough — chances are a vivid

image is painted across your mind,

with sounds and smells to match.

People from Perth and visitors

from around the world have formed

millions of memories of this coastal

community over almost 100 years —

and now they’re being invited to

share them.

Chronicle Scarborough is an

interactive, digital space for you

to share your stories and pictures

of Scarborough — at any time of

your life, at any point in its history.

Visit chroniclescarborough.com.au

to contribute or read some great

Scarborough stories.

juniper gardenS

the Heath Ledger. So there you have

it, side-by-side, food for eating and

food for thought — my favourite

places to be!

John Howard appeared in

the Black Swan State Theatre

Company’s production of Shrine

in August/September 2013.

John howard,

Star of stage and screen

The vegetable and fruit garden

opposite Perth Art Gallery is inspired!

I like to sit or wander there before

rehearsals and see what’s in season.

I like the idea that people who don’t

have much can pick fresh veggies

or fruit. Bravo Perth!

The garden is next to my

favourite theatre in Australia —

my place

spring 2013 | 5

What do Perth, St Petersburg,

VivoCity Singapore and a Grade-II

listed building in Greenwich,

London have in common? They all

boast a Jamie’s Italian restaurant.

In late March, one40william

became the new home of celebrity

chef Jamie Oliver’s latest Australian

eatery. Jamie engaged local

street artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers,

aka Creepy, to produce two murals

for the restaurant — continuing a

You can also relive your memories

with a ‘Hidden History’ walking tour

of the seaside strip using your QR

reading app.

theme of street art in some of his

other restaurants. “My concept

for the work was completely

based around the pre-installed

light on the wall,” explains Kyle.

“I wanted to paint something that

acknowledged the light rather

than pretending it wasn’t there —

a figure mesmerised by the light.

This would be more interactive

with the space and I thought that

might be interesting.”

Rediscover Midland’s

Juniper Gardens —

once a neglected

reserve bordered by

poorly maintained

heritage buildings,

it’s now a dynamic green urban

square surrounded by shops,

entertainment outlets, offices

and apartments.

The space was named in honour

of renowned local artist, the late

Robert Juniper AM, who — with

Ron Gomboc — created the square’s

five-metre copper sculpture Tree

Forms to symbolise Midland’s

creativity and exciting future.

Restored heritage buildings

and new development around

the square have added jobs

and greater vibrancy to the

Midland town centre.

But don’t take our word that

Juniper Gardens is a great place

to visit — last year it was officially

recognised as a ‘Great Place’ at

the national Planning Institute

of Australia awards.

Courtesy

Kyle Hughes-Odgers

Courtesy City of Stirling,

Stirling Community History Collection

salvador Dalí (spanish, 1904 – 1989)

Illumined Pleasures 1929

Oil and collage on composition board

9 3/8 x 13 3/4" (23.8 x 34.7 cm)

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection

© 2013 Salvador Dalí, Gala-Salvador Dalí

Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS),

New York

landscape, still life and portraiture by

artists who discovered radical new

ways to depict their worlds.

The paintings, sculptures,

drawings, photographs, prints and

media works reflect the dynamic

changes in artistic attitude towards

individuals, objects and spaces

across the 19th to 21st Centuries.

“Stunning works from one of the

world’s greatest collections of

modern art will introduce ground-

breaking artists and tell a story of

how attitudes shift in response to

historical events, social change and

innovation,” commented Gary Dufour,

Deputy Director and Chief Curator of

the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

This must-see exhibition is on

until 2 December 2013 at the Art

Gallery of Western Australia. For

more info visit momaseries.com.au

the power of reinvention:

all that’s old is new againIf necessity is the mother of invention, then reinvention may well be its grandchild — a union of resourcefulness and creativity born, in part, out of the increasing pressures of population growth and the demand for more sustainable solutions.

Reinvention, or adaptive reuse, sees the transformation of discarded or unwanted

items into something more useful for contemporary requirements.

For the consumer, it may be the rediscovery of an old, much-loved item or the recycling and reinvention of items like clothing, jewellery, glassware and furniture.

In development terms, it’s the recycling of ‘used’ buildings and precincts, transforming them from their traditional purpose into often

radically different uses. American marketing specialist

Paul Woolmington argues the trend towards an increasingly digital world has opened up the emotional side of humans and produced a yearning for analogue objects and physical experiences.

“In our new digitally-driven world that’s moving at an ever-faster pace, nostalgia takes on a deeper context — a yearning for things past that represent happier, less complex times,” he says.

Perhaps that is why vintage clothing and retro-style appliances have a ready market.

Repurposing products after their

initial use has emerged as another fashion: car tyres become sandals, bags and even houses; woven fishing baskets become pendant lamps; or car licence plates are made into handbags.

Similarly, we are exploring ways to be creative in finding new uses for old buildings.

“We ascribe an identity to a building by what we know about it from our own experience, but scratch the surface and it can reveal many layers,” says Graeme Gammie, Executive Director of the WA State Heritage Office.

“Adaptive reuse is about adding a new layer.”

Mr Gammie says while the term

adaptive reuse is new, the concept is not. “Travel to Europe and you’ll see the practice has been going on for hundreds of years.”

What is new, he adds, is the critical mass that reinvention has gathered in Australia.

“It’s become apparent that there is greater interest from councils and developers in preserving streetscapes and a sense of place — much more interest in ‘how can we use these buildings for a new purpose?’” Mr Gammie says.

“We’re getting a sense that developers are seeing old buildings as an opportunity rather than a

spring 2013 | 7

BROOKFIeLD PLACe, PeRTH CBD

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problem. Firstly, they’re preserving a local landmark. Secondly, they’re creating a point of difference that will attract people in a way that new buildings can’t replicate.”

Conservation architect Kevin Palassis runs a specialist architectural practice. He has worked on projects such as Greenough Hamlet, the old Fremantle Prison, the Newspaper House buildings and the historic port of Cossack. He’s currently providing advice on the redevelopment of Perth’s Old Treasury Building.

Mr Palassis says, depending on the use, there are three main factors to consider when restoring buildings. The first is the system of modern fire regulations, as buildings were not fire-rated in the past. Secondly, access for people with disabilities is a feature not many old buildings offer, so alternative access and amenities are a prerequisite. Finally, there may also be issues with other amenities such as sound, lighting and lift services.

Mr Palassis praises places like Fremantle, which has maintained its heritage buildings. “Fremantle has a

Waste not, Want notSome interesting tactics to recycle waste are being employed around the world to minimise the amount that ends up in landfill.

spring 2013 | 9

“developerS are Seeing old buildingS aS an opportunity rather than a problem”

18 millionBritish Thermal Units (BTUs) of

heat energy are saved with each

tonne of wood recycled.

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COAL BeN ADAPTIVe ReUSe AT

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community that wants to keep its heritage buildings and I think that’s very important.”

Many of the port city’s iconic build-ings have successfully been converted. For example, more than 100 cells at Fremantle Prison, WA’s only World Heritage-listed building, have been transformed into offices. Down the road, the convict-built former Lunatic Asylum and Invalid Depot now stages exhibitions, concerts and arts courses as the Fremantle Arts Centre, as well as providing a home for a shop and café.

In the Perth CBD, Brookfield Place has emerged as an exciting new precinct with shops, offices, restaurants and cafés in long-abandoned buildings along and off St George’s Terrace.

There are also the lesser-known transformations, such as the reuse of a formerly neglected Art Deco building in Maylands — the new home of the West Australian Ballet. For more than half a century, the building housed the Royal WA Institute for the Blind, now the Senses Foundation.

Western Australia was among the first states to establish a

SeLexYz DOMINICANeN, THe NeTHeRLANDS

96% of Sweden’s trash is recycled

to create energy.

55% of the 19,000,000 tonnes of

construction and demolition

waste was recovered and

recycled in Australia in 2008-09.

125 waste-to-energy plants

currently exist in France.

800 plastic milk bottles were

reused as toilet partitions

in Nalawala Community Hall

in Fairfield, Sydney.

14,000 tonnes of surplus building

material was recycled to create

the equivalent of 5.4 million

bricks at Midland Brick in 2010.

APPROxIMATeLY

Overseas, there are outstanding examples of adaptive reuse. Magnificent châteaux and mansions turned into holiday accommodation, or unused churches that now house residences — even a bookshop.

A 13th Century Dominican church in Maastricht in the Netherlands has been transformed into an amazing bookshop called Selexyz Dominicanen. Its highlight is a black steel book stack which stretches three storeys into the nave. Best-sellers are easily accessible

of adaptive reuse — an abandoned coal storage facility at Chicago’s Benedictine University which was turned into a student recreation amenity.

The coal bin (as they’re called in America) has been renamed Coal Ben and now boasts an eatery, bar and meeting spaces that can be hired.

Mr Davenport believes there is more untapped opportunity in America’s building stock to be adaptively reused.

“By some estimates, adaptive reuse and renovation will compose nearly 90% of the construction activity in the US,” he says.

“As neighbourhoods resurface and redevelop, and suburbia redefines itself to include access to more

Ironically, the Welsh town of Cardigan was once well-known for making jeans. While the work moved, the skills and experience remained, attracting David and Clare Hieatt to bring jeans-making back to Cardigan in 2011 — with a unique twist. Jeans made by the Hieatt’s denim label, Hiut Denim Co. (hiutdenim.co.uk), are not only made to last, they also come with a HistoryTag. The tag provides pictures of the jeans’ ‘birth’ and comes with an individual code allowing buyers to specify a unique hashtag. Anything posted online using that hashtag appears on the item’s webpage, building its history as it passes from owner to owner. (historytag.com)

“the principle behind reinvention iS reinvention itSelf”

spring 2013 | 11

redevelopment authority. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority’s work includes much-lauded examples of reinvention, such as the retention and conservation of 70 heritage buildings within its New Northbridge project alone. Other examples include the former Union Bakery (now home to the MRA’s head office), the Midland Railway Workshops (see page 12) and the UNESCO-recognised revitalisation of William Street in Northbridge.

at lower levels, while theological tomes are closest to heaven and can be accessed by the stairs or a lift.

But adaptive reuse doesn’t have to be so eye-catching.

In Missouri, USA, a tornado in May 2011 destroyed thousands of buildings in Joplin, including the city’s high school.

To house the senior high school students, an unused department store was rapidly converted into a modern learning space. School opened as scheduled in mid-August the same year.

Griff Davenport, a Principal of design firm DLR Group, has described the transformation as “the epitome of adaptive reuse”.

His firm oversaw another example

Clothes that last, telling a lasting story

LUDDIte Meets GeeK In DenIM

consumer needs — limiting travel to ‘the city’ — new economic engines are certain to surface with redevelopment and adaptive reuse providing new access to consumer needs, services, retail activity and housing.”

Graeme Gammie cites London’s Bankside Power Station, which was abandoned for 18 years before its reincarnation as Tate Modern, as an “absolute classic” example of adaptive reuse.

Of course, whether the power station will still be a modern art gallery in 100 years’ time is a moot point. What suits today might not in the 22nd Century.

After all, the principle behind reinvention is reinvention itself.

WeST AUSTRALIAN BALLeT, MAYLANDS TATe MODeRN TURBINe HALL, LONDON

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spring 2013 | 13

change of track — reinventing midlandThe transformation of the Midland Railway Workshops is just part of the story of how this traditional town is being reinvented as a lively, dynamic centre for the arts, government, business and community enterprise. K

evin Mountain lowered the Midland Railway Workshops’ flag for the last time

on 4 March 1994, ending an era that spanned 90 years and bore witness to the changing face of WA and its industrial history.

Mr Mountain spent his entire working life at The Workshops, starting in the 1950s when there was intense rivalry between the blue and white collar workers. By a twist of fate, Mr Mountain joined the white collar brigade when his father was in the blue; he applied for an apprenticeship just after a junior clerk was sacked.

“One of the first things [Chief Staff Clerk] Mr Campbell told me when I started out was that I had to learn how to walk importantly to show that I was a cut above those on the shop floor.”

Mr Mountain witnessed first-hand the community which flourished at The Workshops as he rose through the ranks.

JON GOULDeR AND MALCOLM HARRIS WORKING ON THe LeVeL 7

WeSFARMeRS OFFICe COMMISSION

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BloCk 2 LIGHT BY HeNRY PILCHeR, 2009

fRoM the ateLIeRLocated in the historic Midland Railway Workshops, Midland Atelier turned five this year. To celebrate, we have chosen five special treats from recent exhibitions to give you a taste of creativity and design at its best.

1

4

2

5

RgB stools

Daniel Stewart Hood (2013).

Photograph by eva Fernandez,

courtesy of FORM

awkwaRD BeaUty 4

(Detail of

iNstallatioN)

Helen Britton

(jewellery) and

Justine McKnight

(garments) (2011).

Photograph by

Michelle Taylor

Desk two

Guy eddington (2013).

Photograph by eva Fernandez,

courtesy of FORM

3faUltliNes

iNstallatioN

(Detail)

Nick Statham (2013).

Photograph by

Bo Wong

aNoNymoUs scUlptURe #1

eva Fernandez (2013).

Photograph courtesy of

the artist

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“The camaraderie at The Workshops was out of this world. You made great friendships and the sense of mateship was incredible. In the 1950s and ‘60s The Workshops were like a self-contained city where you could get just about anything that you wanted. You could get your hair cut at lunchtime for two bob. Buy or swap fruit and vegeta- bles. Get milk, butter and cream.”

spring 2013 | 15

“a cluSter of heritage buildingS into a creative induStrieS hub”

The reinvention of The Workshops is already underway with some of its striking buildings being put to use.

In an award-winning readaption, the former Flanging Shop is now home to a state-of-the-art operational support facility for Western Australian Police.

Part of Block 1 of The Workshops is now home to Midland’s GP Super Clinic, which opened in July 2012 and brought a range of health care services to the region.

And there’s the Midland Atelier — a collaboration between the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and cultural organisation FORM, which has adapted

a cluster of heritage buildings into a creative industries hub.

Acclaimed designer Jon Goulder has spent five years at the Atelier creating stunning works acquired by the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the Wesfarmers Art Collection.

He considers The Workshops’ Pattern Shop to be “the most amazing space in Australia, without question”.

“When you work here every day, you can feel the energy of the past in the buildings. The scale of the building, the red brick — it kind of becomes part of you.”

Mr Mountain’s working life spanned times of great change for the rail industry as steam locomotives gave way to diesel engines, various trades became obsolete and the number of workers and their families at The Workshops fell from its peak of 4000.

“They had such a great camaraderie and sense of community; it will be good to see them come to life again.”

WA Police CADCOM building

constructed

[1939-45]25 male railway workers were

killed in WWII and added to the Peace Memorial

[1914-18]70 railway workers

killed in WWI

All machinery and staff transferred

1895

[1897]Work began on the three main

blocks (preparing Midland to replace the original Fremantle workshops)

1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925

1940194519501955196019651970

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

1975

1930

1935

[1904]The Railway Workshops shifted from Fremantle

to Midland

[1916]Flagpole memorial constructed

closed

[1909]

1200men employed

[1905]

[1994]Friday 4 March The Workshops closed

[2008]Midland Atelier began

[2012]GP Super Clinic

opened

[1939-45]

The Workshops manufactured 1/3 of munitions and defence equipment produced for WWII in Australia

[2015]Midland Public

Hospital to open

[1993]Workers and

locals protested

[1911-14]The Workshops contributed strongly to the development

of surrounding districts (East Guildford, population 4500)

[1939-45]As men left to enlist, new ground was broken as women were employed for the first time

[1925]The Peace Memorial was built to replace the flagpole

[1971]The Midland steam depot closed following the end of steam trains on the suburban rail system in 1968

[1993]Premier Richard Court announced the closure

of The Workshops

[1994]Long-time employee and timekeeper Kevin Mountain lowered the Australian flag for the last time ending not only his career but 90 years of Western Australian railway history

[2000][2000]MRA established to

coordinate the development of land in Midland

[2009]Traffic Operations Facility opened in Flanging Shop

[2002]Railway Institute was restored as the MRA office

WA POLICe OPeRATIONS SUPPORT FACILITY

WA POLICe OPeRATIONS SUPPORT FACILITY

THe HISTORY OF THe WORKSHOPS

chanGInG tRacKsOld rail infrastructure is providing unique opportunities to create amazing urban spaces the world over.

Although Mr Goulder’s tenure is drawing to a close, he is proud of what FORM and the Atelier has achieved and will watch future developments with interest.

MRA Chief Executive Officer Kieran Kinsella said creative industries provided new employment opportunities.

“Midland has a tradition of trade and a whole range of activities that supported the rail of Western Australia. We thought, let’s take the

spring 2013 | 17

the lowliNe, New yoRk

The LowLine is a proposal for

the world’s first underground

park in the New York City

casa meDiteRRaNeo, spaiN

In the Mediterranean city of

Alicante, Spain an old railway

station has been transformed

pRomeNaDe plaNtée, paRis

The Promenade Plantée is an

extensive green belt that follows

the old Vincennes railway line.

borough of Manhattan that

would be located under

Delancey Street on the

Lower east Side.

into a vibrant day-lit office for

Casa Mediterraneo by architect

Manuel Ocaña del Valle

(manuelocana.com)

Beginning just east of the Opéra

Bastille with the elevated Viaduc

des Arts, it follows a 4.7 km path

that ends in a spiral staircase.

MIDLAND RAILWAY WORKSHOPS (1921)

entrepreneurs, start-ups, mature technology companies and education organisations. Another serves as an artistic hub — Carriageworks — which recently hosted the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. And Urban Growth NSW Development Corporation plans to transform a third section of Eveleigh into a mixed-use precinct.

In Newcastle, the former Honeysuckle Railway Workshops and surrounds have been transformed to become the centre of the city’s social

“the workShopS will once again be the heart of an inner-city community”

COMMISSION IN PROGReSS AT THe PATTeRN SHOP STUDIO AT MIDLAND ATeLIeR (2013)

life with a mix of restaurants, cafés, live entertainment, cultural activities and public spaces.

Transforming former rail infrastructure into cultural destinations is also a global trend. The former steam locomotive depot in York, United Kingdom is now the National Railway Museum; while, in the United States, the New York Transit Museum has been housed in the historic 1936 IND subway station in Brooklyn Heights.

The heritage buildings of The Workshops will once again be the heart of an inner-city community.

The Workshops is one of a number of workshops in Australia undergoing renewal.

The former Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Redfern, New South Wales is now an employment and arts hub.

One section has been reborn as the Australian Technology Park, home to a growing community of researchers,

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creative component of those trades and, by bringing together this precinct, create a point of difference for Midland.”

The MRA will transform the wider Workshops precinct into a unique

urban village offering new homes, commercial spaces, a wide choice of restaurants and cafés, attractive public spaces and a dynamic civic place — Railway Square.

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returning pavement to people

“the concept haS Since Spread to Six continentS and more than 160 citieS, including perth”

Roads and paved spaces around the world are being reclaimed — temporarily and even permanently — to create special places which attract people.

spring 2013 | 19

how can a park-ing space cater to almost 100 people and eight dogs in one day? By

being converted into a miniature park.In 2005, San Francisco-based

art and design studio Rebar staged a guerrilla art project by creating a temporary park complete with grass, bench and potted tree in a metered parking space.

The concept has since spread to six continents and more than 160 cities, including Perth, with the concept of converting parking into public spaces being embraced by urban planners.

“PARK(ing) Day participants have claimed the metered parking space as

a rich new territory for creative experimentation, activism, socialising and play,” says Rebar Principal John Bela.

The example of the 100 people and eight dogs comes from an assessment of a platform with benches installed outside Local Café in New York.

Inspired by New York, the City of Vincent recently created a trial On Road Café outside Foam Coffee Bar in Leederville. Foam supplied the furniture but anyone can sit there. While the café could have fit into one car space, the design straddled two spots for safety. Appropriately, the project was launched during the Light Up Leederville Carnival in December, when the street was closed to traffic.

ROOFTOP YOGA, PeRTH CBD

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PIGeONHOLe, SHAFTO LANe PeRTH

aMazInG spaceCar parks and roads are being reimagined to create places for the public to meet, eat and play.

eveNts

By removing parking bumpers,

the seventh floor of a Miami car

park can be transformed into

an events space boasting high

ceilings and jaw dropping views.

1111 Lincoln Road is the work of

Herzog & de Meuron, who also

designed London’s Tate Modern.

gRowiNg veggies

The rooftop of Federation

Square’s car park in Melbourne

has been converted into a

thriving community veggie

garden with more than 140

veggie patches housed in

recycled apple crates. Local

cafés also grow fresh veggies

and herbs there.

play

An asphalt car park at Taronga

zoo in Sydney has been grassed

over and landscaped. During

the week, families can use it as

a space where the kids can run

around; while on busy weekends

and other peak times, it is used

as an overflow car park.

RelaXatioN

Collingwood in Victoria has

almost no vacant space, but

the City of Yarra aims to create

a new park in the municipality

every year. One example is

the Peel Street Park, built on a

former car park. Part of Oxford

Street was also closed to create

another park.

“car parkS have been tranSformed into all manner of SpaceS”

spring 2013 | 21

“Every time I go down there, the space is being used,” says Rick Lotznicker, the City’s Director of Technical Services.

“We built the platform from wood recycled from a temporary dance floor. It didn’t cost much. If you were

to build a permanent structure, the drainage alone would cost more.”

During winter, Foam Coffee Bar owner Nick Bond swapped the tables and chairs for fur-lined sun lounges equipped with blankets.

Car parks have been transformed

into all manner of spaces on a tempo-rary basis. In Manila, one floor of a multi-storey car park became home to the Art Fair Philippines, attended by VIPs from the business, social and arts communities. On the Gold Coast, Sea World’s car park becomes a rodeo once a year, raising $250,000 for charity since 2007.

Closer to home, the City of Perth’s Roe Street car park stages Rooftop Movies at night and Rooftop Yoga in the early mornings.

“It’s a little haven within the concrete jungle,” says Rooftop Yoga’s Laura Carroll. “You have the sunrise reflecting on the city buildings and the

calmness before chaos still lingering in the air. The combination of the scenery and the yoga practice results in something truly sacred.”

At ground level, some of Australia’s smallest streets — our laneways — are being reinvented.

Following in Melbourne’s footsteps, the City of Perth is revitalising laneways to capitalise on their human scale, fine detail and ability to cater to lively niche businesses. Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the upgrade of Wolf, Howard, Grand and Prince lanes has sparked the development of new businesses in what would otherwise have been forgotten spaces.

Among Perth’s new laneway businesses is Pigeonhole on Shafto Lane, a hidden hub of creativity offering a quirky mix of clothes, stationery and jewellery. The business has five shops across inner-city Perth and wholesales to more than 800 shops around Australia — and is looking to expand interstate and overseas next year.

“Laneways are a fantastic location for a business like Pigeonhole — a little bit away from the city hustle and bustle, not overcrowded and always changing,” says Assistant to the Director Patrick Cain. “In a laneway, you feel like you can find hidden gems. You never know what will pop up next.”

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an additional 11,726 car SpaceS in cbdS

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the people in your neighbourhood

pieter mulder

President Business Armadale

The business community is very excited about the

work that is happening in Armadale. It will bring

more activity for existing and new businesses.

There is an abundance of available land for

multiple purposes and employment growth will

bring opportunities for local jobseekers and more

people to the area.

Armadale is very liveable — there is good

infrastructure, a real town centre, beautiful parks,

new and renovated shopping centres and lots of

sporting facilities.

Josh wilkie

Owner of The Butchers Hook

Armadale is a great family-friendly community,

which has potential for growth. We have seen

significant growth in our business since opening

in 2007.

Armadale used to have the stigma of being rough

and tough, but with the revitalisation of Armadale

we are definitely heading in the right direction.

My wife Jay and I have just signed another five-

year lease and we are very excited for the future.

Robert shaw Director Daly & Shaw Building and

President Master Builders’ Association WA

Things have changed a lot in Armadale in the

last 10 years. A lot of work has been done to

reinvigorate the area and now is the time to move

forward and for things to be finished off — like

Champion Lakes.

With all the new commercial buildings in the

Forrestdale Business Park being established, there

is an impetus for activity to pick up.

Affordable housing and improved facilities in

the area mean people are now looking to make

the move to Armadale.

Robyn Brown

Champion Lakes Boating Club, President of Kayaking

Armadale has been Perth’s forgotten, poorer

cousin but it’s changing. It’s becoming a much

more dynamic and exciting place with lots of new

infrastructure and development. I’d encourage

people to come have a look.

Champion Lakes is a fantastic facility, used for

outdoor education and water sports by many local

schools as well as adults. It’s great for beginners

because it’s extremely safe with no power boats

but it can also host international-standard races.

ArmAdAle is being reinvented with attractive streetscapes providing a new outlook and engendering community pride; new residences near Champion Lakes’ sporting facility are setting sustainability benchmarks; and a new business park is attracting valuable economic opportunities. Here we explore what people love about this changing neighbourhood.

With vision and innovative design and planning — and in partnership with local government, communities and industry — the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority is revitalising communities and creating a distinctive sense of character and place that is transforming our city and redefining key areas of metropolitan Perth for future generations. For more information on our 12 redevelopment projects across Perth, Northbridge, East Perth, Subiaco, Midland, Scarborough and Armadale, visit www.mra.wa.gov.au