Project: Fremantle Waterfront, Western Australia

Recipient: Sasha Spasic Program: The University of Western Australia

Recipient

Sasha Spasic

Program

Master of Landscape Architecture, The University of Western Australia

Project Statement

Traditionally, waterfront redevelopments have tended to clear the history of their sites or work with post-industrial areas – Fremantle is unique in that it continues to be a working port. The area’s bustling atmosphere, replete with cranes, trucks and the movement of cargo, is a distinctive element of the site’s character.

Fremantle Waterfront sees an opportunity to maintain working port operations while allowing visitors and the community to become a part of the site’s narrative. The project opens up much-needed public space and envisions a place where the active and dynamic port setting is embraced and engaged, rather than erased. The design reveals the city’s many narratives and layers, celebrating it as a place of significant industrial, maritime, natural and Nyoongar history.

By working with past and present conditions, the proposal aims to create a meaningful future for the waterfront and city. The retention of the port’s authentic character celebrates Fremantle’s multi-layered history and present, setting the project apart from just another in the chain of redevelopments.

01 — The proposal harnesses the character of Fremantle as an active port with a multilayered social, industrial and ecological history.

02 — The site’s dynamic character is embraced rather than erased, celebrating the city’s entangled narratives.

03 — Visitors are invited into the site to experience the waterfront’s many layers and participate in shaping its future.