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Award for Land Management in Landscape Architecture
Special
Jury Citation for Horticultural Maintenance
MUSEUM VICTORIA -
FOREST GALLERY
Landscape Architects: Taylor Cullity
Lethlean with Paul Thomson
Landscape architects often
lament the poor care that their projects receive. Occasionally a project
gets the attention it deserves, achieving its desired form and overcoming
the vicissitudes of changing staff, owners and maintenance regimes. One
such case has been the Forest Gallery by Taylor Cullity Lethlean
and Paul Thompson because here, nothing was left to chance and the
long-term success of the exhibit has been ensured.
From the outset, the
design team were determined that proper care would be taken of their
exhibit. They provided the client with clear operational guidelines that
fully documented the ongoing management required to ensure the exhibit
developed into an enduring experience. The management document addresses
not only design and horticultural issues but also fauna, soils,
irrigation, water management, pathogen control, invertebrate management
and a host of technical issues. In addition, a program of scientific
monitoring has commenced to guide the on-going refinement of the
management program. The findings from the monitoring program are available
for others who might work within similarly constrained growing
environments. Monitoring activities also serve as the basis for many of
the learning activities sponsored by the Museum.
The Forest Gallery
maintenance regime is supported by the continuing involvement of the
original design team through regular reviews. These reviews ensure that
the design concept is considered in changes to the maintenance program and
well understood by staff. The end result is a rare example of a continuing
collaboration between designers, client and operational managers with
exceptional results. This citation highlights the project’s ongoing
maintenance practices as a model for the long term care of a designed
landscape. Similar client, design team and management collaborations would
better ensure that significant landscapes are maintained at the highest
standards and achieve their fullest potential for beauty and delight.
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