MASTER
PLANNING
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE
RETAIL
PLANNING
PLACE
MAKING
HERITAGE
BICYCLE
SYSTEMS
WALKABILITY
STREETSCAPE
SUSTAINABILITY
TRANSPORT
INTEGRATION
WORKSHOPS
STAKEHOLDER
ENGAGEMENT
DEVELOPMENT
BID
DEVELOPMENT
CONTROLS
ROLE: Project Design Director
CLIENT: Lend Lease/Canberra Investment Corp
Forde, located in the northern suburbs of Canberra, was designed and built between 2005 and 2011. The community was initially a competitive tender with a joint venture between Canberra Investment Corporation and Lend Lease (Delfin), winning and forming a three-way partnership with the ACT Land and Development Authority. Forde was created through a mandate to redefine the design, process and impact of building a new community, realising this mandate has been achieved through changes in governance, stakeholder engagement, design approach and planning controls. A ‘whole of government’ approach ensured timely approvals and design solutions holistic and implementable sustainability initiatives.
Designed to emphasise walking and cycling, maximise access to public transport, and respect the Aboriginal and European heritage, Forde's master plan resulted in a village rooted in its place and community connections. With a vision to allow equitable and safe access to amenities for 8—to 88-year-olds, Forde has been recognised for its high liveability standards.
Sustainability initiatives, progressive built-form solutions, and a carefully considered landscape design have resulted in a place that has redefined the possibilities of suburban living in the ACT.
As the head designer for Lend Lease Communities (NSW/ACT), David managed the design and planning team from the bid stage, concept plan, and master plan through to the Estate Development Plan delivery and construction over a five-year period. David was also the lead urban designer for the duration of the project.
“It’s got a really good sense of community, we really enjoy living in Forde,”
Forde resident Catherine Drinkwater, Canberra Times 29-03-2013
“The new suburb of Forde, in Canberra’s far north, was ranked first in the ACT in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, which measures people’s access to material and social resources, and their ability to participate in society.”
Canberra Times 2011
Design Bureau (on Wallumedegal land) acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, and thrive.
We respect and learn from their cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters, sky, and communities and their enduring contributions.