Let it Bee Wildflower Garden
Client: Penrith City Council
Overview
Developed as an inclusion to the State government Great Western Walk plans, Summit Open Space Services was engaged to deliver the Let It Bee Wildflower Garden on behalf of Penrith City Council.
Let It Bee was proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Greening the Great West Walk program.
Situation
The first-of-its-kind in New South Wales, the project design sought to create a replicable, natural habitat that would improve soil quality, increase microbial and insect diversity, create best ecological conditions for habitat development, minimise predator activity and at the same time educate and engage visitors to the site.
Project
Highlighting Australian wildflowers, the garden project commenced for the Summit team with delivery of formwork and earthworks to create the shape and setting for the unusual bee shaped design.
In order to rehabilitate the soil quality, support healthy tree development and create the sought-after quality shade canopy the scope of the project expanded to include:
- Fencing and Irrigation
- Wildflower seeding
- Weed control
- Tree Planting
- Maintenance
The services required for this project were anything but typical. Among the more unusual elements, the success of the space hinged on the successful installation of Bee Hotels, effective bird deterrents, as well as important public use features including internal garden fencing and mounted concrete slab seating.
Outcomes
From the outset, the Summit team approached the project with an eye for detail, and a culture of collaboration and open communication.
By appointing a dedicated client manager and works co-ordinator, we could ensure the highest standards of safety, efficiency and environmental outcomes could be planned for and achieved by the whole project team.
In addition, the Summit team prioritised continuous learning and best practice improvements from this pioneering environmental project.
We implemented time-lapse recording mechanism. Not only did this assist the current project team’s processes, but it also enabled Summit to assemble and provide thorough ‘lessons learnt’ compendium to inform the future design of similar environmentally ground-breaking projects for Penrith City Council.
As a result of teamwork and collaboration, the project was successfully delivered as scoped by the tender specifications, on time and within budget.
The key metric we are most proud to report on, however, is our commitment to and living culture of ‘safety first’ – with no time lost on the project due to injury.
More reading…
https://www.stuartayres.com.au/media/media-releases/flower-meadow-worth-buzzing-about
