BENEATH THE RAIL LINE
Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing
Removal Project
Victoria
Aspect Studios
Attention to scale and a coordinated approach to colour have created an inviting series of spaces, well-suited to individual and collective inhabitation.
Text Beau Beza
Living near the Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project and having seen (and heard) its construction, I was curious to experience this project’s outcome. The $1.6 billion project has involved the removal of nine level crossings, the realization of five new train stations and the creation of 22.5 hectares of public space for the community in Melbourne’s suburban south-east. At the heart of the project has been the design of a linear park stretching 8.4 kilometres from Carnegie to Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park, twelve kilometres of new shared-use pathways and thousands of new trees. With the project spanning a wide range of residential, commercial, transport and parkland settings, the question of how to establish a unified theme over kilometres of distance presented the consultant landscape architects, Aspect Studios, with a challenge.
The design team’s decision to go “up” with the rail line (rather than sinking the rail below ground – an option that was available at the project bidding phase) has shaped the fundamental design of the works. Following from this initial decision, four design considerations helped structure the development of their response. These revolved around demonstrating performance, functionality, value (why this and
