Harry Street on designing whitewater courses that put people first
At a glance
From major stadia to international-standard whitewater facilities, Design Director Harry Street brings deep technical knowledge and a strong human focus to sport and recreation projects across Australia and New Zealand. We spoke with Harry about his journey into whitewater design, the balance between performance and legacy and what defines success for a world-class competition venue.You’ve built a career at the intersection of sport, recreation and design. What drew you to whitewater course design, and what keeps it creatively and technically challenging?
My interest began with designing sports facilities such as stadia and aquatic centres in Australia. I was drawn to the challenge of long-span structures and the way sporting events bring people together, creating a shared sense of pride, excitement and community that you simply don’t get watching sport on television. That interest gradually expanded to all types of sport and recreation facilities, and eventually to the design of the Wero Whitewater Park.
Whitewater facilities sit somewhere between engineering precision and human experience. How do you approach designing courses that perform at a professional competition level while remaining engaging, safe and built to last?
Sports venues come with very specific, non-negotiable requirements, and I enjoy the discipline that brings. In whitewater design, parameters such as course length, depth, width and fairness for all paddlers are critical. Equally, requirements around safety and satisfactory viewing, including sightline diagrams, cannot be compromised. Within these constraints, designing a genuinely challenging whitewater course is something of a ‘black art’, bringing together CFD (computational fluid dynamics), scaled hydraulic modelling and a degree of intuition, informed by specialists at Whitewater Parks International and scientists at the Czech Technical University in Prague.
Projects like Vector Wero show how a single facility can serve the local community, visitors and athletes alike. What has that project taught you about designing for both legacy and high performance?
Designing a challenging, high-performance venue is fundamental, but the greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the local community using and enjoying it. Vector Wero was designed as a ‘legacy’ course and today serves professional athletes, the general public and corporate groups, while nearly 20,000 students use it each year, many of whom would not otherwise have access to water safety programmes or paddling activities such as kayaking and rafting. It has become an empowering, confidence-building experience, with social benefits estimated at $3.30 for every dollar invested.
Your sketches are a distinctive part of your work. How does drawing help you translate complex technical ideas into a clear design vision?
Sketching ideas is fundamental to how I work. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in my experience that’s absolutely true. It’s a fast and effective way to communicate ideas and clearly express the design intent from the outset. It’s often quicker than developing concepts on a computer, even though digital tools ultimately determine whether an idea is sensible and workable.
You’ve delivered sport and recreation projects across Australia and New Zealand. How has that wider experience strengthened your approach to whitewater course design?
I have worked across sports projects at every scale, from international venues such as the Sydney Football Stadium, to national and regional facilities including the North Harbour Stadium, the Mt Smart Stadium and the Yarrow Stadium, as well as community-focused projects like the Toia Ōtāhuhu Recreation Precinct and the Tūparikino Active Community Hub. Working on these projects has given me experience engaging with world sporting bodies, local authorities and community groups, as well as across the full spectrum of design considerations, from safety and security to funding strategies, equipment selection and universal access. It’s this breadth that strengthened my approach to complex projects like whitewater courses. While achieving international standards is critical, long-term success ultimately depends on legacy use. A venue needs to become a well-used and valued community asset, delivering ongoing social benefit.
As attention turns to the Brisbane Games whitewater course, what do you believe ultimately defines a successful competition venue, both during the event and long after it’s over?
During competition, a successful venue needs to challenge athletes, operate seamlessly for officials and be accessible to spectators with clear viewing, access to food and beverage and amenities. It also needs to support media coverage, creating the opportunity for powerful images to be shared around the world and experienced by audiences far beyond the venue itself.
In legacy mode, success is defined by accessibility, sustainability and active community use. The venue needs to offer engaging programmes that support learning and water safety, reduce water and energy use and continue to deliver measurable benefits, from empowering users and improving safety outcomes to building participation in water sport, inspiring leadership and enhancing long-term wellbeing.
In the end, the most successful whitewater venues bring together both art and science, beginning with people, guided by deep technical knowledge and built to serve communities long after the competition is over.