Sydney Park Water Reuse Project is one of the city’s largest environmental projects forming an integral part of the strategy behind Sustainable Sydney 2030. The project is a seamless intersection of design, art and science; an outcome only achieved by the devoted collaboration between those involved. The heart of this project tells a story about water; through its function and processes that enables water to be harvested in its wetlands, made good and returned to viable use within the park and nearby industry. ‘The Cascades’ bioretention wetlands captures water from the Newtown catchment; the equivalent measure of 340 Olympic–sized swimming pools worth per annum. The project reinvigorates our view of park landscapes, by creating intrigue and dialogue as park users explore and discover ‘moments’ in the landscape that can be at times playful, dramatic and peaceful—at all times connected to the water narrative of capture, movement and cleansing.

The project is one of the most awarded landscape architectural projects in Australia.