Tony Blackwell, FAILA, Registered Landscape Architect
Although accepted into the School of Architecture at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Tony chose to pursue a career in landscape architecture feeling that this path offered more exciting prospects in a new and evolving profession. He entered training in the first year an Australian university offered an undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture and graduated from Canberra University in 1978.
Whilst still at university Tony worked for various Canberra based landscape practices/organisations including the National Capital Development Corporation (NCDC) focusing on ACT recreation facilities.
After finishing his degree Tony was offered a job with Bruce Mackenzie and Associates.
During Tony’s time there he worked on a number of large-scale projects including the landscape master planning of Sir Joseph Banks Park (a 28 Ha park on the north shore of Botany Bay in Botany NSW), the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, Brisbane International Airport and Darwin International Airport.
Tony returned to Perth in 1987 to establish Blackwell & Associates with the intention of staying close to the projects and being actively involved throughout the design process. Despite the challenging economy of the late eighties Tony quickly established a reputation for the Practice as an innovative landscape architectural and urban design studio, capable of undertaking some of the most demanding projects in Western Australia at that time, such as the Vines Resort and Joondalup City Centre Streetscapes.
For more than two decades Blackwell and Associates have undertaken numerous benchmark projects in WA. Directly and indirectly the practice has had a major impact on Perth’s public realm with many design concepts and details having an influence beyond their original projects and becoming industry standards. Under Tony’s direction Blackwell & Associates has received over 50 awards including six national awards.
Tony has served on and chaired many professional panels, juries and committees, both within AILA and representing the profession. He chairs the AILA WA Education Advisory Panel, assessing the course in Landscape Architecture at UWA. He is also currently a member of several Design Review Committees in Perth and represents AILA on the Built Environment Design Professionals (BEDP) Committee.
Tony has taught at several academic institutions including Ryde School of Horticulture (1985) and Curtin University (1988). He has also given select tutorials in Professional Practice (UWA ALVA) 1994 -2010.
Tony has a strong commitment to ongoing education within the profession in respect to school and university students, staff members, fellow professionals and himself. Part of the practice ethos is the co-operative education of all team members and this is extended to the provision of places within the office for school and university students to undertake practical training. Separate to formal teaching exercises at UWA, Tony runs various professional education sessions with the UWA Landscape and Architecture Schools. Tony continues this general role for graduate Landscape Architects studying for the AILA registration process by running a series of tutorial style education workshops and providing continued mentoring for a number of applicants.
Throughout his career Tony has maintained a keen interest in the allied professions such as town planning, architecture, industrial design, natural sciences and visual arts. This has assisted him greatly in developing a greater understanding of the synergies that exist between each of them and the broader realm within which they operate.
MARCH 2010