The Knoll, Jacksons Landing

The Knoll,

Jacksons Landing.


Client	Lendlease
Design Partners	JMD Design
State	New South Wales

Industrial heritage meets urban future on the edge of Sydney Harbour.

Since the mid-1990s Pyrmont has undergone a stunning transformation, from heavy industry to sought-after residential address, just 2km from the Sydney CBD. Fleetwood was contracted by the project lead, Lendlease, to deliver a series of new structures at The Knoll, part of the prestigious redevelopment of the Jacksons Landing site.

From rock anchoring, vehicle-accessible cliff ramps and public art elements through to landscaping and lighting, we embraced the challenges of the waterfront development, helping to create inspired outdoor spaces for Jacksons Landing residents to enjoy for many years to come.

Our involvement.

The project called upon Fleetwood’s wide-ranging experience in planning, design, construction and installation.

One of the key tasks was to deliver the access ramp on the knoll cliff face for the general public as well as maintenance vehicles. This required detailed surveying to determine the most suitable foundation/connection points for the structurally-critical rock anchoring.

The ramp was then constructed off site by Fleetwood and installed using multiple cranes. Smaller crawler cranes were also used to install the Knoll Remnants, public artworks designed by JMD Design. We took their designs forward through engineering and completed the installation with structural and soft landscaping elements including precast concrete, steel and timber. Fleetwood was also responsible for managing the lighting infrastructure and the landscaping of the site.

How does this project inspire people to love the outdoors?

The Knoll Remnants and their surrounding landscaping are a much-loved focal point for the Jacksons Landing community, providing a creative place for locals to meet and relax, day and night. The cliff face access ramp provides a vital new pedestrian and cycle link, allowing residents to more easily access the nearby Pyrmont shopping precinct, and beyond.

Design Challenge

With decommissioned machinery and installations scattered throughout the site, the creative vision for Jacksons Landing was to reflect Pyrmont’s industrial heritage.

To ensure the new elements met the same brief, their designs needed to feature strong shapes, bold textures and industry-inspired finishes.

The public artworks, known as Knoll Remnants, were envisaged by JMD Design using a combination of structural and soft landscaping.
Construction Challenge

Jacksons Landing sits at the very edge of Sydney Harbour on the busy Pyrmont peninsula. With limited geographic access, the waterfront site provided plenty of logistical challenges – especially the construction of the vehicle access ramp. In fact, initially Lendlease faced a major challenge as no-one wanted to look at the job. Ensuring the stability of the cliff face elements was critical, while our specialist installation crew had to meet the stringent requirements of Lendlease’s Global Minimum Requirements (GMR’s).
Innovations

Building the vehicle access ramp on an unstable cliff-face was a complex process, involving considerable engineering design risk. The Fleetwood team accepted the challenge with an open mind, using several innovations to get the job done safely.

To address the instability of the cliff, rock anchors were sunk in at a much greater depth than usual. Getting the necessary gear to the top of the cliff was also far from straightforward. The solution was to close off Jacksons Landing at night and crane everything up from street level. Excavators, small trucks and all equipment.

The ramp design also needed to be highly innovative as Lendlease didn’t want it to be an eyesore. This required a ‘slimline’ construction that would still be extremely strong and durable.
Features
- Cliff face vehicle access ramp
- Knoll Remnants public artworks
- Landscaping and lighting
Safety & Risk Considerations

The cliff-side location was very unstable which posed significant safety risks at multiple stages of the project. The ramp was used by maintenance vehicles, requiring significant engineering creativity and regular safety inspections.
Sustainability Considerations

It was essential for all elements at The Knoll to be high strength/low maintenance to minimise any ongoing disturbance to the local habitat and the Jacksons Landing community. Fleetwood worked closely with JMD Design to ensure all of the structures were designed and specified accordingly.