Paul Bombardier and dsb of Canberra
dsb on YouTube
In 2009, dsb Landscape Architects celebrates 30 years of providing Landscape Architectural, Arborist and Horticultural services to Canberra and the surrounding regions.
In 1979, Malcolm Fraser was Prime Minister and John Howard was Treasurer and Canberra was developing into a city. At the time, Canberra’s southern edge was the partially completed suburbs of Kambah, Wanniassa, Fadden, Gowrie and Macarthur. Anything further south in Tuggeranong Valley was dirt roads, sheep paddocks, wheat fields and the Telephone Exchange at Conder in the middle of a sheep paddock. In Belconnen, Florey was a sheep paddock in the middle of suburbia and Gungahlin was at the beginning of the planning process to become the next satellite town.
It was at this time in 1979 that John Deverson, Paul Scholtens and Paul Bombardier commenced Deverson Scholtens Bombardier Landscape Architects later to be known as dsb Landscape Architects. From premises in MTA House in Northbourne Avenue, they began to service private and public clients. Initially the practice provided landscape designs for private residences and public infrastructure in Canberra and to the fledgling Albury Wodonga Development Corporation. The National Capital Development Commission was a significant client and dsb provided landscape architectural services for schools, churches, health centres, and residential estates either by direct engagement or as a sub-consultant to architects and engineers.
At the time, NCDC had a policy of bringing in consultants from out of Canberra, and whilst engaged on these projects, dsb Landscape Architects established relationships with a wide range of consultant organisations both local and interstate. Many of these relationships continue to present day with current projects.
In the first five years, dsb had established a solid practice with local and regional projects for NCDC and private and commercial clients. The practice records indicate that almost 2000 private residential landscape designs have been completed in the 30 years since.
A significant project from the start of the practice was a part in the Million Trees project for the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation. This project resulted in the establishment of over one million trees in native forest plantations in future development areas around the cities of Albury and Wodonga on the New South Wales / Victoria Border. This million trees project commenced a long relationship with the Albury Wodonga community providing landscape architectural services for neighbourhoods, parks, residential estates and industrial estates over the years. Thurgoona Town Centre, Dean Street Albury, Albury Performing Arts Centre, Albury Cemetery, Albury Commercial Club, Albury Botanical Gardens, Charles Sturt University and Cambourne House at Wodonga are an incomplete list of the many projects undertaken. Many strong and continuing professional relationships have been established in the Albury Wodonga community.
In Canberra, NCDC policies requiring landscape designs for all development created a substantive body of landscape architectural services projects with architects, developers, builders and engineers and we continue to maintain relationships with many clients developed during this period of Canberra’s development.
As Canberra grew and developed, the diplomatic community was encouraged to move diplomatic missions out of residential locations across the city and develop dedicated Embassies within the nominated areas of Yarralumla and South Canberra. dsb Landscape architects have provided landscape architectural services in the development of over 19 diplomatic missions and many of the mission’s residences. A significant and continuing client is the Embassy of the United States of America.
Significant urban design projects include the Tuggeranong Town Centre and Tuggeranong Lake Master Plans and other projects of note include Parklea Prison and Clyde Mail Exchange in Sydney, projects at Brisbane Airport, the Dog on the Tuckerbox at Gundagai and Richardson and Chisholm neighbourhood landscape, schools and ovals.
dsb Landscape Architects’ project experience firmly established the practice’s reputation for the provision of quality service and dependable advice on,
- Churches and church schools,
- Architect related projects,
- Public child care centres, pre-schools, schools, colleges, TAFE and universities,
- Roads highways and arterial roads,
- Residential estates,
- Public parks,
- Embassies and residences, and
- Aged Care and Health Care facilities.
In 1985, dsb Landscape Architects moved into Deakin Chambers and we can still be found at 14 Hannah Place Deakin.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, Canberra as a city tempered it’s rate of establishment and installation of basic infrastructure and the nature and character of projects changed to reflect these times. Services were provided on the establishment of the National Aquarium as a trout farm. New garden internment memorial areas were developed in Woden Cemetery. This period coincided with a number of projects in rural areas and dsb assisted community park, streetscape and memorial projects in Corowa, Narrandera, Wangaratta, Rutherglen, Tallangatta, Leeton, Cootamundra, Kapooka and Laverton. dsb Landscape Architects continues to prove landscape architectural services to south-western New South Wales and northern Victoria following on from these initial projects. Recent rural projects have been undertaken at Jindabyne, Bombala, Gundaroo, Yass, Bungendore and Kosciusko National Park.
Canberra projects from this period include Stage 88 Commonwealth Park, Medium Density Apartment / Townhouse projects at Emu Ridge and Kingston, recreational facilities at Cotter and Casuarina Sands, a number of aged care facilities, Gorman House refurbishments and the Governor’s General Office Building at Yarralumla.
A number of landmark projects have been completed making significant contributions to the landscape development of Canberra,
- Glebe Park, Civic,
- Tuggeranong Town Centre and Lake Edge,
- Thurgoona Town Centre, Victoria,
- Australian National Botanic Gardens,
- Eddison Park, Woden,
- Fadden Pines District Park, Fadden,
- Woden cemetery,
- Dean Street, Albury,
- Lennox Gardens, Parkes,
- Hobart Place, Civic,
- Manuka Oval Master Plan,
- Moreshead Drive – Kings Avenue to Airport,
- Gungahlin Drive Extension, and
- Gungahlin Central Linear Park.
dsb Landscape Architects provided the first privately designed Floriade in 1990 and we have been involved in the Floriade design for the last ten years.
The practice has completed over 2500 major projects, 2000 private residential projects and we are approaching vegetation assessments of 400,000 trees.
dsb Landscape Architects has developed as a local and regional landscape architectural practice that has a strong engagement with its community. Our commitment to the environment is demonstrated by our participation in debates where we expand our knowledge base and adopt new products and technologies. We maintain our professional memberships in MBA, AILA EIANZ and NAAA. Directors and staff have been President, Vice President and Secretary of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. We continue to engage with other professional groups and government agencies to maintain and improve our technical currency.
For our 30th anniversary, dsb Landscape Architects deposited the hand drawings of the practice with the ACT Heritage Library. These drawings include all the private residential projects to date and the commercial projects from commencement to Job Number 1200 about 1998/1999. This deposit has archival significance in that it is the continuous drawing records of a significant member of the landscape architectural profession working in the Canberra and regional landscape.
dsb Landscape Architects is locally based with community responsibility and engagement. The completed projects of the practice are pervasive rather than monumental. We are an integral part of the Canberra and regional landscape and community.
Over the past 30 years, dsb Landscape Architects has consistently provided quality landscape architectural, arborist and horticultural services. This has been achieved with sound financial and practice management. We seek to engage high calibre staff who are capable of responding to all scales of projects and clients. We value our engagement and training of graduate landscape architects and wish them well as they progress to being independent professionals. Almost 70 landscape architects have received their initial professional development at dsb.
dsb Landscape Architects has developed, prospered and continues to provide quality landscape architectural services to the local and regional community with responsibility. Irrespective of the size and budget of a project, all are treated with care and attention to detail in certain knowledge that we are providing services based on sound knowledge of local conditions and requirements that are valued by our clients.
From the single tree vegetation assessment to $10 million projects; from a Landscape Plan for a Development Application to a detailed project involvement in the planning, documentation, approval and implementation of an 800 lot residential estate or a major road entry to the ACT; all are important and all have clients seeking and receiving quality services and dependable advice.
The Directors and staff of dsb Landscape Architects are justifiably proud of our past achievements and look forward to our future achievements with equal enthusiasm.
Directors
Paul Scholtens, Arborist and Horticulturist
Paul Bombardier, Registered Landscape Architect
and Michael Reeves, Registered Landscape Architect.
December 2009
View a YouTube presentation of the 30 years of DSB