A semi-permanent architectural installation has been crafted by Foolscap Studio to introduce Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney’s newest urban neighbourhood, Barangaroo.
The Wulugul Pop Up structure has been created by Foolscap Studio on behalf of Lendlease, the developer behind The Streets of Barangaroo, with the installation’s design referencing the undulating topography, striking forms and natural colours of the local environment.
By fusing together innovative, creative spaces with pockets of green, and offering timeless relaxation in the company of the city’s coolest food and drink operators, the structure provides Sydneysiders and visitors a taste of life in The Streets of Barangaroo, an innovative precinct that is redefining urban living by offering the perfect combination of food, culture and relaxation.
The Wulugul Pop Up is a 170-metre structure balancing a contemporary design with a subtle nod to the origins of the site. Reflecting Lendlease’s design intent to provide a snapshot of what it means to experience Barangaroo and the Sydney Harbour, Wulugul Pop Up incorporates elements of Sydney’s surrounding coastal landscape including wharves, marina, docks and harbour edge as well as beaches, cliffs, forest and ocean.
Gary Horwitz, Head of Retail at Lendlease, explains that the Wulugul Pop Up is an exciting space designed to create a fun retail atmosphere for visitors to The Streets of Barangaroo. He said the interactive space represents a teaser for what can be expected when the permanent restaurants of Wulugul Walk open in spring next year. The Pop Up has been designed using sustainable materials with its understated look drawing attention to the fantastic food, beverage and events taking place on Sydney Harbour at Barangaroo.
Key design highlights of the Wulugul Pop Up installation include a central F&B hub that brings together the food and bar offering with loose seating and standing tables at the terrace edge; an adjacent greenwall providing landscaped seating and picnic tables for patrons to spread out and sample some of Sydney’s finest food and drinks; the Dunes, located next to the hospitality section, overlooking the Harbour and providing a place to gather, meet and socialise; the coworking table offering a more intimate communal space where guests can share ideas and engage with new thinking; and a digital screen for outdoor cinema and documentary screenings as well as for presentations, digital artworks and educational purposes.
Wulugul Pop Up also has its own native edible garden where visitors can relax on sunbeds and bench seating set against landscaped areas to the northern end of the project, providing shade in summer and sun through winter.
Foolscap Studio chose to create this Pop Up landscape using tubes made of 98% reused material, inspired by the cardboard formwork employed to cast the concrete columns of each building at Barangaroo. These durable and recyclable tubes have been specially developed to form the outer layer of the Pop Up and have a water resistant finish to stand up against the elements.
With an objective to source local natural materials wherever feasible for the Pop Up, Foolscap Studio chose plywood made from native Australian timber species for the furniture within; hardy native plant species selected based on minimal maintenance and their natural beauty; and self-watering plants for the planted greenwalls, reducing maintenance.
Foolscap Studio Director Adele Winteridge explains that their work on the project describes how people interact with places, with the installation serving to bring together all members of the Barangaroo and the greater Sydney community through a design scheme that combines hospitality, public domain, residential living, educational, workspace and natural landscape elements. She added that the installation takes the now commonplace idea of the ‘popup’ and evolves it into a temporary meeting place for people and culture.
Take a walking tour of the Wulugul Pop Up and begin your journey of discovery on The Streets of Barangaroo.
