30 November 2009
A team of volunteers from construction company Laing O'Rourke will swap keyboards for garden gloves on 30 November when South Bank Corporation begins planting a unique urban agriculture project on the corner of Grey and Tribune Streets.
This temporary community garden is designed to activate the South Point site until construction begins in late 2010.
Sustainability and a spirit of egalitarianism underpin the project, whereby all produce grown will be available to Brisbane locals and visitors for free.
The garden complements the Happy Haus display home recently installed on the same site, made by the Queensland-based company of the same name that produces stylish, prefabricated, economical and easily installed modular homes made from high-quality materials.
South Bank Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Malcolm Snow supports the sustainability principles exemplified by the garden, acknowledging that the design deliberately emulates gardens from the 1950s:
"Sixty years ago, many Queenslanders naturally practiced sustainability by supplementing store-bought produce with their own home-grown fruit and vegetables. We're keen to encourage visitors to introduce these habits in their everyday lives."
The garden features fast-growing, low maintenance plant varieties chosen for their hardiness, usability in local kitchens, and ease of relocation back to the South Bank precinct at the end of the project.
Local cooks will have access to kitchen stalwarts including chillis, lemongrass, rosemary, garlic, basil, sage, thyme and coriander as well as medicinal herbs like Pennywort (good for arthritis sufferers) and some distinctly modern varieties such as mint in various flavours including: apple, chocolate, lemon and spearmint.
Paradise Pineapples and edible nasturtiums will fly the flag for traditional Queensland fruit and edible plants.
Lawrie Foster, General Manager of Laing O'Rourke's Building Group, said the company's volunteer leave day was one way the company engaged with the local community.
"When working on technically complex, challenging projects there is a tendency to lose perspective with regards to what is happening beyond the boundaries of the construction site," Lawrie said.
"Our volunteer leave day is a great way to keep our team, from senior engineers through to our labourers, in touch with the local community where we work."
Happy Haus' display home, featuring white weatherboard cladding and large cut away window will blend perfectly with the rapid-growing, subtropical garden, demonstrating the viability of urban agriculture and sustainable living options being created in Brisbane, by Queenslanders.
Committed to bold, innovative leadership, South Bank Corporation is proud to unveil its latest community project: the Sustainable Garden and Happy Haus that is designed to encourage people to live, work and play in more sustainable ways.
Media enquiries
Nina Persson
Coordinator, Communications
Telephone 07 3867 2017
Facsimile 07 3844 9436
nina [dot] persson [at] south-bank [dot] net [dot] au
