Chapters 1 to 11 Combined - Century City

THE ESTUARIES PRECINCTPhysical features such as CenturyBoulevard and Century Avenuestructure the precinct into threedistinct sub components. These are:1. The crescent of land boundedby two “arms” of the Wetlandcanal system and CenturyBoulevard;2. Land to the east of CenturyAvenue and CenturyBoulevard. This subcomponent has been namedthe Estuaries Office Park; and3. Land to the west of CenturyAvenue. This sub componenthas been named “The Oval”.Notwithstanding these subcomponents it is intended that themain distributor roads should not beseen as divisive features but rather asunifying elements, with developmenton either side of the Avenue andBoulevard complementing each otherand contributing to the roads as primeaddresses.The precinct plan aims to create anurban framework which will enhancethe quality of the environment, whilstoptimising returns for individualdevelopers. While the developmentparameters allow a degree offlexibility, they need to be respected interms of overarching principles toensure that the objectives of theprecinct are attained. The followingsections provide an overview of thethree sub components of the EstuariesPrecinct, and a composite of thePrecinct Plan is illustrated overleaf.The Estuaries Office ParkThis sub component will bepredominantly office related, with asmall minor business component, suchas restaurant or office suppliers. Theintention for erf 5161 (the CMC site)has changed, so that this will nolonger accommodate a single largeadministration facility, but insteadincorporate a number of smaller officeblocks, which may include publicsector and private facilitiesA water feature forms the heart of thisdevelopment and, together with thelocal activity streets, help to unify thiscomponent. Buildings are locatedaround the water feature whichbecomes a local focus, while theinternal streets create a spine ofactivity through the area. These arepedestrian friendly and allow for somemixed uses.The figures illustrate principles of theprecinct plan:• A compact, cohesive whole iscreated;• The built form will result in arobust interface with CenturyBoulevard and Century Avenue;• The site adjacent to CenturyBoulevard/Century Avenue, willcontain a prominent buildingwhich will help to celebrate thisintersection;• The main entrance into the subcomponent, off the CenturyAvenue traffic circle, will result inan attractive “gateway” and willpromote a sense of arrival;• The water body will introduce asoft landscaped element as acounter point to the more densebuilding mass;• An interconnected and legiblebuilt form will emerge from anumber of separate structures,due to the implementation ofcommon urban design principles.PLANNING PARTNERS: CENTURY CITY URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK October 2005 41 REVISION 1