Riverlink by CHROFI with McGregor Coxall is described as a 'kind of public living room.'Credit:Photo:Simon Wood
If there was a theme among the public forms of architecture celebrated at the awards it might be that they exhibited a generosity of scale and design that equipped them for a variety of uses.
They also tended to be somewhat ambiguous and versatile – places that can become what people make of them.
That is certainly the case with the CHROFI and McGregor Coxall-designed Riverlink – which has won multiple local and international awards since opening last year.
“It’s quite extraordinary because the vast space of it is an open space,” said the mayor of Maitland,Loretta Baker.
The purpose of the Riverlink was to connect the riverfront with the town centre of Maitland – under pressure from the opening of a nearby shopping mall.
And the relationship between the town and the river has been immeasurably strengthened by the angular archway,designed to be sympathetic to its heritage buildings. The Riverlink also houses a restaurant,public toilets,and can host artworks and events.
“In the summer we just put deck chairs in it,give out bottles of water and ice blocks,and people just sit around and talk to one another,” Cr Baker said.