Brooke Street Pier - stors.tas.gov.au

Brooke Street Pier

Brooke St Pier Redevelopment

Architectural Report – DA Submission … .2

Contents: The Proposal

A waterside tourist precinct for Hobart Description of the general concept The proposed ferry terminal

The Architectural Approach

Architecture as cultural memory A brief history The new ferry terminal Environmentally sustainable architecture

Address for all correspondence: Brooke St Pier Development c/o Circa Morris-Nunn, Architects IXL Atrium, 27 Hunter Street Hobart 7000



Summary

A new Waterside Precinct for the City of Hobart The concept proposed is to create a new waterside space for the people of Hobart and for visitors from beyond – recreating a former pier as a new tourism transport hub, providing upgraded facilities for ferry users and operators and a much enhanced public facility for the community to enjoy. The concept will recreate the former Brooke Street Pier with a modern innovative interpretation – using the maritime heritage and architecture of the precinct to deliver a new, vibrant working Cruise/Ferry centre. The concept will deliver a visitor experience that enhances the interface between land and water operations. It will provide new waterside access and commercial facilities for our community and visitors alike. The proposal secures the operations of Hobartʼs vital cruise, ferry and small boat operations around a modern, functioning pier that is designed to cater for growing marine ventures into the future. There is a current and urgent need for enhanced facilities to service the rapidly growing businesses providing water based commuter and tourism services – for example, those to MONA and Peppermint Bay. The proposed facility envisages and caters for the growth of water born commuter services on the Derwent. In essence, the proposal is as follows: A new enclosed pavilion for use by all ferries and associated cruise boats, to

replace the existing adhoc wharfside buildings. The creation of a new Waterfront Transport Hub as a central assembly pick

up / drop off point for all diverse tour operators based in and around Hobart and linked directly to the Ferry Terminal.

A floating terminal is proposed – in essence a large floating barge, 80m long

by 18m wide, on which will sit the new ferry building. The terminal will thus rise and fall with the tide. This will mean that the structure will never be affected by global warming, although it will be low and close to the waterline. The barge floor height will match the majority of the ferry vessels and minimise disruption accessing off and on for all passengers . Vitally, the terminal will cater fully for disabled visitors and passengers and be compliant with the relevant Acts.

The barge forms the base for a three storey structure, the lowest level being

the ferry waiting, embarking/disembarking area; the First Floor the ferry



ticketing and public/tourist areas, with a restaurant at the outer end of the pier, and the upper Mezzanine floor is for associated offices.

The ferry terminal will have a varying relationship to the fixed height of the

existing wharf apron, and the difference will be dependent on the changing tide levels. This variability will be managed by having all pedestrian and goods access onto the ferry terminal being via a large single sloping ramp 2.5m wide, fixed to the ferry terminal structure at its upper end with a rotating hinge so its angle of rake can vary to suit. The lower ramp edge therefore will be capable of moving incrementally in and out as the water levels rise or fall. The ferry building in fact will legally be classified as a boat.

A new raised podium will be constructed on the existing wharf, 900mm above

the existing concrete deck, to reduce the length of the main entry ramp and permit an alternative more direct access route up to the building by using a set of steps up to podium deck height, off which will be the moving ramp up to the First Floor of terminal.

Critically, the proposal to base the building on a pontoon enables construction

to be carried out ʻoff-siteʼ. This will reduce disruption during construction to the public and operators on Sullivanʼs Cove from up to 3 years to approximately 6-8 weeks.



The Proposal

Background to the General Concept The Brooke St Pier Development will represent a partnership by the Tasmanian Government with private enterprise. The primary thrust will be to create new ferry, tourism and public infrastructure on the Hobart waterfront. The project will enhance the overall visitor experience to Hobart and Tasmania and simultaneously increase the opportunity for the incremental development of regular commuter ferry services in the Derwent Estuary. There is a current and urgent need for enhanced facilities to service the rapidly growing businesses providing water based commuter and tourism services – for example, those to MONA and Peppermint Bay. Numbers using the current Brooke St Pier have now risen to over 150,000 passengers per annum. It is estimated by the main operators at Brooke St Pier that these numbers will continue vigorously to grow over the next few years

The proposal grew out of the 2007 Invitation For Detailed Development for New Ferry Infrastructure. The Department of Economic Developmentʼs goals at that time, were expressed as follows; The successful project will be pier building that • is appropriate in size and scale to existing piers, wharfs and buildings including

Elizabeth Pier, Franklin Wharf and Princes Wharf • can meet the current and potential future operational needs of ferries and other

commercial vessels • constructed to be robust and durable, withstanding waterfront conditions and

high level of public use • make a contribution to the quality of public space and provide public services

such as toilets • complementary to related transport infrastructure • have a clear design rationale that responds to the design principles set out for

the Sullivan’s Cove environs • accommodate activities that inject more activity into this part of the Cove that

also complements ferry use



The ferry terminal is based on the concept of responsibly using new private sector funded commercial activities to financially assist the required upgrading of important public infrastructure – a public/private partnership. The details of a possible arrangement are still to be formally considered, and as such, resolving and obtaining Development Approval for the project is a critical first stage in this process. This means that the implications of any conditions that may be placed on the approval can be fully considered as part of the subsequent discussions.

Hobart waterfront in the 1960ʼs: finger wharves with large freighters loading and unloading cargo.

The new Hobart waterfront as it is now envisaged: tourist infrastructure and cruise boats.

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A Brief History of the Wharves For much of the history of Hobart there have been two piers between the northern end of Watermanʼs Dock and the Elizabeth St Pier. The smaller of the two wharves was constructed adjacent to Watermanʼs Dock itself, with a second longer wharf located midway between it and the pier.

Sullivans Cove Wharves in1916. The original ferry terminal was a small freestanding building located at the outer end of Watermans Dock, on the opposite side to the Brook St Pier. This structure grew into what is now the Murray St Pier.

The original Murray St ferry terminal



1963 Plan showing the finger wharves and the structures on them. Both wharves had enclosed storage sheds, which were different to other wharves in the Sullivans Cove in two ways:

• neither shed had a large open recessed ʻforecourtʼ on their landward side.

• both had sheds which covered the entirety of their ʻover the waterʼ pier footprint. As such, there were never any large open aprons running around the exterior of either wharf structures. Instead each shed had sliding doors which opened directly adjacent the moored boat. This meant that only smaller vessels could be loaded and unloaded, as there was no space for overhead cranes to deposit cargo on a wharf after it had been lifted vertically out of shipsʼ holds. It is understood that these wharf buildings were constructed in this fashion to expedite the loading of apples for export.



These two wharves and sheds have now been demolished, and replaced by the current small structures with their open jetties. The Brooke St Pier at least has preserved a small part of its former wharf building, the front gable portion of the building shown in the photo above is still there behind the curved apse front, which is obviously a more recent addition. It is our intention to reinstate one of these two piers. The new ferry terminal will in effect be the reincarnation of these utilitarian piers as a social, tourist orientated space.



The Hobart Ferry Terminal This submission is based on a proposal to create new / ferry / cruise boat infrastructure which allows for the rationalisation of the existing situation where all operators each have different terminals of different ages and in different states of repair. The ferry / cruise boat terminal will be an independent, visually separate and easily identifiable waterfront facility which conforms to recent guidelines for new freestanding structures on the waterfront. The new terminal will be designed and built as a stand alone structure for the purpose of creating a single point of embarkation for the users of all cruise boats and other associated waterborne traffic that ply Hobartʼs waterways. It will provide a much-enhanced public and visitor facility that responds to current passenger and visitor throughput and caters for planned and envisaged growth. The terminal will have the following facilities: ENTRY LEVEL (First Floor) • An Entry Ramp leading up from a wharf side central embarkation area • An enclosed entry lobby displaying tourist information with a central ʻcheck inʼ

ticketing counter area for all ferries • Escalator and lift down to boat embarkation deck • Disembarking points(2) for all two level boats from upper level. • Public toilets • Several cafés with internal and external al fresco dining facilities LOWER LEVEL (Ground Floor) • Mooring of all ferries with open passenger waiting areas and storage facilities • Lobby, lift, escalator and stairs down from main Entry Level • Toilets • Mooring Lock-up facilities to provide security for boats on an ʻout of hoursʼ

basis MEZZANINE LEVEL (Second Floor) • Lobby, lift and stairs up from main Entry Level • Open offices. • Toilets • Upper level of rear restaurant

The Architecture of the Wharf Structures The form of all the early wharf structures were broadly consistent. They always long, slender gable roofed buildings. Only the larger wharf structures had central clerestory skylights, but essentially there was a consistency in the repetitive gable roofed forms of the early wharf buildings that collectively all formed the overall visual character of the Hobart waterfront in the middle of the 20th century.



With the exception of the Elizabeth St Pier, which is a contemporary structure between the bookends of the old shed gable ends, none of the recent waterfront buildings reflects at all the history of the waterfront and, more pertinently, the nature of the traditional wharf structures that used to exist on the site. In architectural terms, the concept proposed is to create a new ferry terminal to emulate the spirit of the old wharf sheds in a contemporary manner. In essence, the ferry terminal proposal is to utilise the same general framed construction and gable roofed profile of the old wharf sheds for the new wharf buildings.

The Barge and Superstructure as an Innovative ESD proposal The floating barge with its attached superstructure includes a very innovative solution for long term sustainability. (Refer to the independent report by Cundall on the Proposed ESD Philosophy for Brooke St Pier)

In essence, the overall approach will be to use natural ventilation to both warm and cool the building, assisted by the possibility of storing fresh air inside the pontoons, preheated/cooled to be the same as the temperature of the water. Inside the building on the barge is a series of three chutes running along the length of the pier, and these will work as large vertical ducts allowing the cooler air to be drawn up through the upper stories, and conversely allowing warmer air to be drawn down to the lower levels as needed.



The following diagrams illustrate the general process:

Cool air being drawn up through natural convection.

Warm air being trapped in a closed louvred ridge area and pulled down to warm lower floors .

The Berthing of Vessels All vessels prefer side berthing. The proposed design will allow for direct loading via bow or stern in the future if required. The plan shows the proposed location of each vessel but this is flexible. Because several vessels are two storey, an upper level access point can be provided in the building, allowing passengers to disembark at the same time as other passengers are boarding the ferry, reducing



turn around times. This will become even more important if a commuter ferry system can be established.

The location of both the proposed terminal was determined by assessing the dimensions of the remaining external water filled areas surrounding them for its daily use by all the boats. The final size, angle to the wharf and location along the wharf apron were determined by assessing and adjusting the dimensions of this water environment in order to achieve an adequate manoeuvring area for the berthing and exiting of all vessels using the area. Discussions with appropriately qualified persons and operators, indicate that the current proposal allows for adequate manoeuvring for all vessels, including the Cartela, by allowing 20m between Murray St Pier and Southern side of Brooke St. The design allows for adequate turning circle when exiting berths, and it is felt that there are no extra special requirements need in order to handle cross-wind/ currents or other special requirements, such as piles, outside line of wharves to assist with berthing

A minimum distance of 5m from bow and stern for berthing each vessel has been allowed. And it is not foreseen that a different method of berthing in adverse conditions will need to be considered. FUTURE GROWTH Potential growth in vessel numbers will be accommodated in two ways: Extending the pier building itself by adding on more bays in order to increase

the number of potential operators being housed Growing the finger piers extension to end of Brooke St Pier building, providing

additional angled berths

The Relationship of the New Building and the Ferries The new building will fit into the visual framework of the traditional finger piers with one important exception, the building will float. This change will mean that the ferry terminal will always have a fixed relationship to the ferries enabling easy access and egress off and on the boats, especially for the disabled, as well as easier re-provisioning, no matter whether the tide is in or out. Service points will be provided to meet needs of each vessel for closed circuit fuelling, power, pump-out, water and hose-down. Construction period Critically, the proposal to base the building on a pontoon enables construction to be carried out ʻoff-siteʼ. The entire project can be built at one or more sites remote from Brooke St and simply towed in like a boat. This will reduce disruption during construction to the public and operators around Sullivanʼs Cove from up to 3 years to approximately 6-8 weeks. The proposed construction process also enables closer control over facets of the construction process in a more controlled environment. Disruption to the general ambience of Sullivanʼs Cove will be minimal.



Maintenance/ victualling/cleaning Design allows for restricted small service vehicle access (golf buggies with rear luggage trays) to access up the ramp and down to the ground level of the pier by the large central lift. This will effectively provide all provisioning and servicing required for the boats. Growth in vessel numbers Additional demand for berthing will be catered for by modular design of finger pier at end of Brooke St pier. Berthing Arrangements for The Melbourne / Hobart Race The multi-functional nature of the Elizabeth St Pier will be protected and no change in its current use is envisaged. The proposed overall design will allow for the current usage of the southern side of the pier of by boats competing in the annual Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race, which is when there is the greatest pressure as far as current usage on this part of the waterfront.



To Conclude This submission is based on a proposal to create new / ferry / cruise boat infrastructure to meet the needs of Hobart well into the 21st century.

The building/boat is a very innovative and flexible solution to answer all the complex practical issues relating to ferry operation. It creates a modern, interesting tourist hub and it provides an enhanced, visionary public facility for Hobart and Tasmania. The proposal creates both a visual continuity with the past history of the port and a firm basis for the future development and continued growth of the ferry system as an integral component of Hobart’s expanding public transport network.

Prof. Robert Morris-Nunn CIRCA MORRIS NUNN, Architects

Documents

Brooke Street Pier - stors.tas.gov.au