Landscape Architecture - Bachelors
Kurilpa Urban Rainforest is a green lung of Brisbane that has large stormwater management system that responds to climate change. The system mimics natural hydrological process in subtropical rainforest to let nature to create organic scenes by its own process.
Kurilpa was once a traditional meeting, trading, and hunting place for Yuggera people before European settlement. Large subtropical rainforests along the western side of the peninsula were cleared for farming and then used for industrial purposes. In consequence of removing the room for river, this lowland gets the most severe damage during weather related events and is expected to slowly sink under water as a result of climate change.
A chosen site is an industrial precinct located alongside with Brisbane River and Montague Road. It is one of the biggest constraints for making West end as high flood risk area as well as contaminating the river due to its impermeable and pollutant land. However, it creates an interesting scene within the conflicting context of environmental abandonment and industrial vitality. While man-made structures (historic buildings, industrial structures, docks, and platforms) dominate characteristic of the site, remnant rainforest vegetation show distinct separation from them.
Kurilpa Urban Rainforest is designed for resilient water damage management by mimicking natural hydrological process of subtropical lowland rainforest. Contaminated stormwater is treated and stored in basins during flood, used during dry season, and then sent back to Brisbane River. Intervention on existing buildings is minimised to respect history of landscape and leave a room for future site improvement.
Preparing for climate change, vegetation is selected in consideration of salt and pollution tolerant as well as providing rich ecosystem and positive microclimate.
Having grown up in a multi-cultural background, Juyung has always had to adapt to her ever-changing environments and struggled to find a sense of belonging. It shaped her as a person who has strong values in public wellness and is motivated to find better ways to facilitate this through Landscape Architecture.