Thomas Heath

Performative Landscape exists in the context of broader reuse & environmental rehabilitation project. It celebrates social–ecological linkages through a loosely programmed & flexible theatre space in a novel landscape whilst offering a model for resilience in an urban context.

The project is founded on investigation into the repair of a section of the Yarra River corridor in Bulleen, were removal was explored as an act of architecture. The theatre program has been relocated from the speculatively removed Veneto Club. Additionally through this analysis strategies were developed to reduce the influence of noise & light pollution in order to enable environmental repair in Bulleen.

The theatre was designed as a nimble space, consisting of two curtain partitions providing variable levels of privacy and utility. The outer layer is a looser, more permeable one whilst the inner curtain enables a high degree of control over lighting and sound. Four mobile triangular podiums can be arranged to suit specific program, whilst the operable bleachers can be rotated to divide the space or orient out to the vegetation.

The landscape is a functional one, consisting of a series of swales designed to catch and hold surface runoff and excess rain to return to the land in a sustainable way, as such the users experience will vary dependant on recent weather patterns.

In plan the project consists of four main elements, an almost circular board walk connecting the key points of circulation, a kiosk like pavilion that can serve as a cafe, bar, or ticket office & an island of remnant carpark concrete that forms the theatre. The final significant feature is an undulating topography formed by a series of swales that run on contour designed to hold water in the landscape for as long as possible to increase fertility & regenerate ground water supplies.