Star Mountain Plaza - showcasing Papua New Guinea to the world

Papua New Guinea is a country of diverse tribal culture. Around 80 percent of its residents live in rural areas with no or few modern conveniences. More than 700 native tongues are spoken. It’s traditionally been a destination for business travel, predominantly for the Oil & Gas and Mineral Industries. However it is a country of amazing natural beauty. 

And the Government’s hoping to encourage international travellers to explore that beauty for themselves with the $800 million-plus legacy project, Star Mountain Plaza. Stage one of the mixed use development comprises a 5-star luxury hotel, convention centre and performing arts centre, and was used for APEC in 2018.

Developed concept plan for Star Mountain Plaza.

An initial master plan for the plaza was completed by New Zealand’s Ignite Architects. That was further developed by landscape architecture firm Noble Fox, who formed a Partnership with Design2 Landscape Architects in Christchurch, and tendered for the Stage one works. 

Louise Dunning, from Noble Fox, says critical to the success of the project was the procurement of materials into Port Moresby, because of limited local supply chains. 

Sago palms are an important plant in PNG.

“Working with the clients procurement team was a huge part of this project for us and maintaining quality controls,” Dunning said. “Paving materials, lighting and furniture were procured from China. 

“Plant Materials were procured locally but with some challenges.  Our brief was to showcase the natural beauty of PNGs Highlands within the development landscape.”

Dunning was tasked with creating “a rainforest oasis”  in the middle of a very dry Port Moresby. “Yes, it was a challenge. We had to figure out what would grow in Port Moresby which, climate-wise, is quite different to the rest of the country. And then we had to source those plants (around 12,000 of them) in a country that’s not particularly developed.

Canoes made from giant Sago Palms are an important mode of transport for villagers along the waterways of PNG. Sago Palms were used as a feature in the centre of the plaza. They are swamp plants, so an area without drainage was created to allow them to sit in the wet ground as they do in the bush.

“Our clients organised a trip to Lake Kutubu to understand first hand the way their people lived, how they use the various plant species available to them in their daily life, and to spend time with the local World Wildlife Fund staff to better understand the ecosystems. From this we gained a huge appreciation for the remote nature of the PNG villagers and their resourcefulness.”

By visiting different villages and checking out their native vegetation Dunning managed to come up with a plant palate that recreated the general aesthetic of the highlands. 

Lake Kutubu villagers gather outside a sleeping house.

A water feature running through the site is intended to represent the Fly River,  which winds through over a thousand kilometres of PNG’s western province.

“The Fly River is the main way of transporting people across the plains and connecting their communities. It is also a significant source of food,” Dunning says, “so it’s very important to them. We wanted to tell that story.”

Dunning made the decision not to include an irrigation system for the plants. Part of the idea of the project was to employ as many local people as possible. So rather than pay for an expensive irrigation system it was going to be more cost effective to have people hand watering everything.

Stage one of the plaza under construction

A gardening team of 6-8 staff was established, supplemented by up to 20 labourers assisting during planting. In the final stages of the project Dunning and her crew were supervising the team of local gardeners to implement the planting plans. With the APEC deadline looming it was all hands on deck to get the landscape established including laying out all plants for the teams. 

It was a huge assignment, more than three years of design work between Dunning and Angie Nelson and in Christchurch Sean Dixon and Brad Parkes. The remainder of the consultant team were working between PNG, Auckland and Australia.

“What we’ve created is a landmark design which showcases the rich, natural ecosystem of Papua New Guinea to those who may not get a chance to venture beyond the city boundaries.”