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Chelsea Apartments, Chatswood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nine - pre-fabricated terrazzo pavement inserts by David
Humphries
Commissioned through Site Image landscape architects by Multiplex NSW
1999
Located on Sydney's North Shore, Chelsea Apartments is a multi storey complex of residential apartments, up-market hotel,
bars and restaurants.
Famous Australian actor, Ruth Cracknell, lived in a house on this site during World War II. The developer had Ruth record her
experiences of the site during her life. The pavements were identified as an area of opportunity for making a permanent tribute to Ruth as a local identity. The development team knew from past experiences working
with David Humphries, that he had the skills to collaborate with someone like Ruth Cracknell. His task was to translate Ruth's recorded story into a cohesive and poetic visual statement in the form of pavement
artworks. David did this in the medium of terrazzo. Five 1.2 metre discs featuring her words were inserted in the pavement at the corner of the building, thereby giving the development a uniqueness that would touch
a local chord and enrich the sense of place.
Further down the street, signifying the hotel's entrance , four more 1.2 metre discs were created. Their design
reflected the shadows of the trees on the footpath and enhanced the community's experience of the streetscape.
Both sets of discs were pre-made in the terrazzo factory and transported to the site for installation in accordance with
the construction schedule.
The project contributed to the urban environment in an imaginative and innovative way, benefiting both the community and
the developer.
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