RSPCA SENSORY GARDEN & WALKING TRAIL

Yagoona | Commercial, Sensory Gardens

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Located adjacent the veterinary hospital and offices, the key objective of this design is to create an interactive and sensory space for the enjoyment and wellbeing of staffs, volunteers and animals at the RSPCA Sydney Shelter.

Throughout the design process, we worked with RSPCA’s in-house animal behavior experts to design elements that could help our four-legged friends to feel a sense of calm and generate positive emotions as they meander along the garden and walking track to mark and explore.

The sensory courtyard garden seeks to create a sense of calm when all around may be chaotic. By incorporating natural materials and a combination of natives, sensory shrubs and groundcovers, it will become a space to rest, recharge and find inspiration.

The lower landscape offers a sensory walk for both handler and animals, ensuring that both experience a moment of spatial change, sensory engagement and visual interest. The landscape walk will incorporate a low bridge to travers site services and compliment the site stone with planting combinations of native grasses and groundcovers for year-round interest.

The animal walkway will offer informal mulched sensory path with rocks, logs, sniffing posts and activity zones for dogs to discover, sniff and explore with different senses. The obstacle posts along the trail will encourage physical movement and mental agility. There will be recycled tree trunk and branches with hanging wind chimes at regular intervals and toys stuffed with treats for sensory enrichment.