"It has taken 20 kilometres of brightly coloured rope wound around a rainbow python-shaped pavilion to make Mount Druitt’s 50-year-old Dawson Park feel safer by night and cooler by day." Julie Power - SMH

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The Mt Druitt Pavilion takes a big swing at how public funding can be used to tackle big issues. The Pavilion represents the first significant public investment in Mount Druitt in years. It serves as a catalytic project that has sparked over $100 million in further investments to transform the suburb. Transformative, inclusive, playful and responsive to the locals’ needs, it revives a formerly troubled public space and captures the optimism and drive of the community. The local community of Mt Druitt is one of the most disadvantaged in Australia, with high levels of unemployment and educational attainment. The town square itself suffers from a lack of amenities, ill-defined and inactive edges, poor passive surveillance, and rundown community infrastructure. Despite this, the site is well-used by locals due to a busy schedule of performances and community events throughout the year.

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There is an excitement to experiencing the structure’s organic shape as it snakes around existing trees of the square, which carves out a range of spatial conditions. These conditions allow the siting of different landscaped 'scenes' under the shade of a canopy that responds to the diverse needs of the local community. Resting, gathering, and performance spaces are folded within the pavilion in a way where non-complimentary programs are spatially separated from each other. The canopy is hand-wrapped in colourful rope which provides shade, vibrancy, night lighting and texture to the area. These qualities instill a clear spatial definition, to the square, creating a defined and visible community space. This greatly improves the safety and inclusivity of use, making the park much for friendly to the use of families, women, children, and the elderly. The whimsical color and pattern of the rope references screen printed artwork by Garage Graphix Community Art Inc. Their art, produced in Mount Druitt in the 80s and 90s, incorporated an astonishing explosion of energies, ideas, and images – a fitting homage in a time of great change.

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