Designed by Alexandra Lankow
Cove West is a mixed use community facility exploring the memory of the demolished Manly Aquarium. The space includes updated beach amenities, a cafe, a coastal education centre, and a hirable events area. Bringing back this piece of local heritage will grant its occupants a moment of reflection and reverence for their surroundings. The design creates a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor, inviting the ocean into our space and echoing nearby coastal beauty. The use of transparency throughout the design is sympathetic to the surrounding heritage buildings. Cove West embraces and amplifies innovative and sustainable design through its raw textures, and focus on art and sculpture as a means of community-based education. Cove West celebrates people and culture, welcoming all generations to contribute to activating a vibrant and lively coastline.
Floorplan Legend
Accessibility
1. Ramp / Site Stairs 2. Entrance
3. Stairs to First Floor (Hire Space/Lookout Area)
Lifts Coastal Education Centre
Bespoke Sculpture
Interactive Information Displays
Tiered Seating
Workshop
Auditory Experience
Amenities
Historic images of Manly Cove. Sourced via Northern Beaches Library Archive c.1960s
Custom floor tiles and fabric prints.
Bespoke sculpture design inspired by Joshua Nowicki’s photography (pictured left) of sand structures. These gravity defying stacks on the shores of Lake Michigan are formed by wind erosion. They illustrate the balance between nature and man’s intervention. Guests of Cove West can interact with the sculptures experiencing their tactile surface and combination of metal and glass.
Alexandra Lankow is an emerging Sydney-based Interior Design crafting immersive experiences that are community and civic oriented. She is inspired by thoughtful design choices that draw inspiration from the natural world to create unique forms. Growing up on one of Sydney’s iconic beaches, Alexandra is influenced by the magnetic pull of the tides and ocean, how they carve the coastline with unrelenting movement. Alexandra is engaged by designing and educating through touch, enhancing functionality and user experience with sensory textured design. She believes thoughtful architecture and interior design has a profound effect on our everyday lives, and hopes to contribute to our urban landscape in a meaningful way.
Contact: alex.lankow@gmail.com
© 2025 Alexandra Lankow. All Rights Reserved.
All concept development, custom bespoke pieces, 3D visualisation, technical drawings and video media have been produced by Alexandra Lankow. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means without the express written consent of the designer.