Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Maitland Levee

McGregor Coxall

The Maitland Levee project, in a regional town in New South Wales, demonstrates how a carefully considered and high quality public realm project can transform the economic, social and environmental fortunes of a place. The evidence provided regarding the number of vacancies in the retail tenancies before and after the intervention—from 50% in 2010 to all tenancies being filled—was compelling.

The key move to reintroduce some car access to the pedestrian mall to increase activity and access. This plus the introduction of a constrained and high quality palette of materials in the street to let the heritage buildings of the street ‘sing’ has created an attractive destination for shopping, spending time and sampling the produce of the region. An approach of long-life, loose fit, enabling car parking spots along the street to be given over to outdoor dining as the opportunity arises, has been a successful strategy.

The jury hopes that the success of this first stage of works provides the confidence for the continued delivery of the masterplan, including further investment along the River Walk, to reinforce the important role of this regional town in the Lower Hunter Valley.

Award of Excellence 2017

Wootten Road Reserve Interpretation Space

Glas Landscape Architects

Wootten Road Reserve Interpretation Space on the outskirts of Melbourne, inspired the jury with its immersive design and response to the local ecology and history. GLAS Landscape Architects have created a magnetic and poetic series of spaces that draw inspiration from the former settlers’ homestead on the site while celebrating the local basalt grassland ecology of the region creating a place for all.

The adjacent local area comprises suburban development and sports fields. This project juxtaposes this experience with a window into what was once here, creating pathways and interpretive play areas for visitors to uncover and immerse themselves in. By combining active play within the restored grasslands and references to the homestead, visitors discover their local heritage, better understand their local ecology and create a new focus for the community. The jury felt this project was designed and built to the highest quality, creating a benchmark for healthy and diverse natural and built landscapes, ecological restoration and park projects.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Queanbeyan CBD-QEII Park/Collett St Upgrade

Clouston

This project by Clouston, refined from a master plan originally developed by Oxigen, has produced a new community focus along the Queanbeyan River, creating an amphitheatre, play spaces and terraced lawns for open air events and community activities. The project rejuvenates a riverside precinct that has quickly become a favourite location for everyday recreation and large scale community events.

Referencing some of the best principles of landscape amphitheatre design, this project elevates the genre through its simple yet elegant design, sinuous forms, creation of useable activated spaces and its response to the river. It can accommodate several meters of flood water and the design incorporatesplatypus habitat. The jury commends Clouston for this project for responding to the needs of the community, reflecting the local ecology, and creating a vibrant public space for the people of Queanbeyan.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Cobbler Creek Recreation Park

Birdseye Studios

The jury were impressed with the way the design of Cobbler Creek Recreation Park manages to deliver both a respectful ecological response and an extremely active and vibrant play experience for the local residents of north Adelaide and visitors to this regional attraction.

The project retains the largest remnant of Mallee Box grassy woodland on the Adelaide Plains, which is highly valued for biodiversity conservation. This site was previously underutilised, and now hosts extensive walking trails, extensive playspace, BMX and mountain bike facilities. These all sit respectfully adjacent to the rehabilitated creekline and conservation areas. The project design phase included extensive engagement of young people and the local community; the design response is evident and has driven broader and more diverse park use.

The jury commends Birdseye for the careful integration of diverse and robust play elements within the existing landscape, respecting the ecology of the site, and transforming an underutilised place into a much loved destination for the community.

Award of Excellence 2017

Onslow Youth Space

Convic Pty Ltd

In a remote location in the Pilbara region of WA a multifunctional play space named the ‘Fish Bowl’ shimmers on the hot surface, an embodied mirage for the local youth. A ground plane of movement inspired by the chambers of a termite mound transforms in three dimensions to a skate park and vibrant community hub.

The constraints of the location were overcome by retaining and recycling as much of the existing infrastructure as possible and in the process testing and delivering new products for the market. As a result, the community has received a space over twice the size of what was initially thought could be achieved for the budget.

Importantly, Convic was committed throughout the process to ensuring that local young people youth were deeply involved with this project. It is an outstanding example of the richness that effective, targeted consultation can bring to a project. Their vested interest in this place will ensure the ongoing life of the space, while also encouraging and teaching a new generation of children the delights of design and engagement.

Landscape Award 2017

Adelaide Zoo Nature’s Playground

WAX Design

Nestled within the Adelaide Zoo, the design of Nature’s Playground explores the themes of the natural world, organising the spaces according to the planet’s major biomes.

Through the use of natural and recycled materials, a neutral colour palette, bespoke play structures and clever integration of existing vegetation, the space evokes a feeling of peeking through the David Attenborough lens at a playspace in its natural habitat.

WAX Design’s approach included an extensive consultation process and a collaboration with Variety the Children’s Charity, which ensured the added benefit that designing for all of the senses can provide. A play space rich in opportunities for exploration and discovery, challenging enough to provide opportunities for risk taking but ultimately a place to have fun and be a child, a delightful space that encourages learning through play.

Landscape Award 2017

The Paddocks Precinct Domain Creek Playground

McGregor+Coxall

Set within Parramatta Park, McGregor+Coxall’s design for the Domain Creek Playground is a wonderful example of how to integrate a community facility such as a playground into a World Heritage-listed area, respecting the site’s history while at the same time strongly proclaiming the new intervention.

Locating the play space within the existing trees, in contrast to the original master plan, has provided not only amenity from the sun but also given the space a sense of belonging. Climbing, flying, bouncing, water and sand play have been arranged in a series of play rings designed to provide universal access and engagement.

A design informed by history and place and through extensive community consultation has resulted in a beautiful space sympathetic to its surroundings while providing a socially inclusive play space that provides joy and challenge.

Award of Excellence 2017

Remembrance Drive Interchange

Oculus Landscape Architects

This project exemplifies how the involvement of Landscape Architects benefits large scale infrastructure projects, particularly when they play a leading role within a multidisciplinary, collaborative design team.

The simplicity of the design has been carried through from concept to completion. The legacy of the servicemen and women who fought in World War I is respectfully commemorated within a beautifully conceived wall which, legible at a human scale, is integral to the broader and restrained infrastructure and landscape within which it sits.

The jury commends the designers on the way the infrastructure provides an elegant and enduring landmark and, in particular, the sensitive incorporation of pedestrian access to allow visitors to comfortably use the site as a commemorative place. Oculus have delivered an outstanding urban design outcome that is true to the design brief, seamlessly connected to the land and welcoming to visitors.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

UQ Synthetic Sports Ovals

Tract Consultants

The UQ Synthetic Sports Ovals project demonstrates the significant contribution of landscape architecture in the delivery of sustainable, resilient and integrated infrastructure within a highly utilised university precinct. Balancing two competing needs of the campus—car parking and sports facility provision—Tract have seamlessly connected landscape and infrastructure ensuring complex level changes and pedestrian links are cleverly resolved. The result is an innovative new facility that sits well in its campus setting.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Jock Marshall Reserve Nature Walk

Urban Initiatives

As a delightful intervention in an ecological setting, the Jock Marshall Nature Walk is a brilliant example of the sensitive integration of landscape ecology and infrastructure. Urban Initiatives are commended on their approach to the project, particularly at the strategic level where unlocking amenity space has opened up a broader awareness of the value of these kinds of spaces within an urban and institutional setting.

It is encouraging to see infrastructure projects that are focused on sensitive and minimal interventions in this category and with the Jock Marshall Nature Walk, the capacity for these types of projects to maximise the benefits for users and highlight the importance of our connection to nature is exemplified.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout

Ecoscape Australia Pty Ltd

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout is a sheltered parkland on an important, culturally sensitive site fringing Derbai Yerrigan, the Swan River. The site had been acquired by John Wall Hardy in 1831 for farming but at the turn of the century was acquired by the State Government.

For many years it was a 'forgotten site'... vacant, disused, weed infested, eroded and a place of anti-social behaviour. Working with the Traditional Owners of the land and guided by the principle of 'designing with respect', Ecoscape allowed socio-cultural values to drive the design process. This work has resulted in an outstanding landscape design which articulates the site's rich cultural heritage and reinforces the complex natural environmental elements. The park provides a variety of passive and active recreational spaces with interpretive information, sitting places and structures which tell both Aboriginal and European stories.

This project is an exemplar of the best practice currently being articulated by AILA in the development of our Reconciliation Action Plan. Work to date on the draft RAP notes that all projects should reference the natural land history and engage with Traditional Owners as part of their methodology, to enable the systems and the stories of place to be celebrated, and for them to underpin the land management strategy or project.

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout is not only an important acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the land and our Aboriginal history, it also provides a beautiful, much needed parkland that will be loved by future communities for many years to come.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Big Plans for Small Creek: Small Creek Channel Naturalisation

Landscapology

Landscapology and their project partners have deftly demonstrated through the Small Creek project just how valuable creative collaboration can be when connecting communities with fragile, fractured landscapes. The methodology takes principles established by Healthy Land & Water’s ‘Living Waterways’ initiative to a new level, demonstrating potential for addressing degraded urban waterways across the country. The energy devoted to fostering community engagement, including lengthy site occupation and detailed technical investigation, has driven a site-specific, layered outcome with a strong sense of local ownership. The jury commends the team and their project partners for this exemplary piece of professional advocacy and land management practice.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Journey Interactive Map

Tract Consultants

The jury moved the Journey Interactive App to the Tourism category from the Research, Policy & Communications category, based on its potential to literally put landscape architecture ‘on the map’ as part of the broader tourism offer of cities. The five projects entered in this category are commended on the much improved visitor experiences they have enabled in each place, with carefully considered interventions responding well to their briefs. However, it was the digital way-finding tool that elevated the contribution of the profession to a broad audience, which captured the jury.

Developed to coincide with AILA’s annual Festivals in Melbourne (2015) and Canberra (2016), the app, map and website provide information about landscape architecture projects in each of the cities, enabling people to explore and appreciate the diversity of spaces and places that landscape architects have designed. We see great potential for this resource to be expanded--to Sydney this year!—and for AILA to promote it to State tourism entities.

Award of Excellence 2017

K2K Urban Design

Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects/JMD design

The K2K precinct covers the town centres of Kensington and Kingsford, on the strategically important Anzac Parade corridor in eastern Sydney. The precinct is undergoing major change with the introduction of light rail and is under significant pressure for growth. The K2K project was the result of an Urban Design Competition which aimed to work with the community to articulate a new town centre vision to inform a long-term planning strategy that would deliver urban design excellence and sustainability.

This project was developed through a close collaboration of both landscape architect and architect, working together to deliver a fully integrated, high quality urban design which not only accommodates future growth but greatly improves local amenity and liveability within an existing urban fabric. All design 'moves' are underpinned by a sound understanding of the history, natural environment and attributes of the place.

The project reinvigorates the Anzac Parade boulevard enabling it to regain its grandeur with new buildings and landscape of urban scale. The ancient north-south millstream and valley has been revealed as a generous green spine with new linear parklands, wetlands and water course alongside which new residential accommodation can develop. A network of liveable east-west streets has been proposed to further enhance amenity as the population densities increase. And new public spaces in the form of civic squares and sizeable parks are carefully located to ensure activity clusters and amenity are connected and readily accessible to all.

The resulting urban design framework not only articulates an inspired vision for the future, it sets out principles and strategies to achieve what could become some of Sydney's most desirable places. In doing so, it demonstrates how growth and change, if managed well, can add significantly to the amenity, liveability and sustainability of our communities.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Townsville North Rail Yards

Tract Consultants

The Townsville North Rail Yards project provides a strong and inspired conceptual framework to guide the future redevelopment of this important waterfront site in Far-North Queensland. In the past decade, many cities have embarked on waterfront redevelopments that largely ignored the local context and character in pursuit of a modern global style such as we now see in Dubai, Singapore, Melbourne's Southbank and Sydney's Barangaroo.

This project adopted a rigorous 'Inquiry by Design' process of research, workshops, options analysis and economic reviews to establish key urban design principles that are 'of the place' and celebrate the uniqueness of the site.

Integrating new development opportunities with the existing heritage structures, the project aims to differentiate itself from other places in Townsville and provides a richness of experience that has strong connections the site's history and the community. The street layout provides strong connections into the surrounding urban areas and the proposed configuration of civic spaces and buildings creates dynamic spaces while opening up the waterfront to the public.

This is a concept that would admirably facilitate incremental development in line with investment opportunities and phasing without diluting the strength of the spatial configuration and character. Implementation with plant species and landscape treatments as well as an architecture that responds to the tropical climate and context will make this an outstanding place for future generations to live, work and play.

Award of Excellence 2017

Vibrant Towns of the Scenic Rim

John Mongard Landscape Architects

With planning for the future of our regional towns becoming increasingly important, John Mongard Landscape Architects have delivered a comprehensive, articulate and highly implementable plan for the Vibrant Town of the Scenic Rim.

Taking an approach that considers the value of these towns on both their individual merit, and importantly the collective whole, the plan unfolds as an experiential journey that explores the character and life of each town. With community engagement playing a central role in the project, the plan reveals the history, culture and scenic amenity that make these places real. The report is beautifully presented, providing readers with a legible and visually coherent document that clearly highlights the pathways to achieve long term sustainable, people-oriented and economically viable places within one of Australia’s most picturesque regions.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

City of Adelaide Park Lands Management Strategy

City of Adelaide

The Adelaide Park Lands Management Strategy proposes a new vision and a contemporary approach to the transformation of the Park Lands to meet the challenges and needs of a growing and increasingly diverse population in and around the city. With a focus on increasing activation, accessibility and resilience while maintaining and strengthening the Parks’ distinct character, the strategy sets a robust framework for future park management and development and illustrates the significant contribution that the Park Lands make to the social life of Adelaide. The City of Adelaide’s Project Team is commended on the spatial planning approach that elevates the strategy as a visionary, design-led document that reinforces the liveability and sustainability objectives of the city.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

University Square Master Plan

City of Melbourne

With the urgent need for cities to tackle climate change and the urban heat island effect, as well as increasing population growth and diversity, it is encouraging to see projects such as the University Square Master Plan embrace these issues through effective and well researched urban and landscape planning. Through a rigorous process of engagement with key stakeholders and the Melbourne community, the plan identifies the key issues facing the future growth of this part of the city in the context of where the square sits in the greater open space network and guiding city strategies.

The proposition is an innovative and distinctly urban approach to the redevelopment of the square and the jury were particularly impressed by the integration of the surrounding streets into the plan. The master plan delivers a compelling story for the transformation of the square into a vibrant, activated and functional public domain that is seamlessly knitted into the fabric of the city.

The Jury would also like to acknowledge the innovative approaches to research currently being undertaken around the country and appreciate that although still in their infancy, the potential for exciting and fresh additions to the profession through these mediums are an exciting prospect.

Award of Excellence 2017

Book: Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability: Creating Positive Change Through Design

Joshua Zeunert

Josh Zeunert’s book comprehensively covers a multidimensional approach to sustainability by reviewing innovative and creative approaches to the field through the lens of landscape architecture. With an international emphasis and publication outreach designed to positively influence developing communities, the book covers topics ranging from blue and green infrastructure, ecology, food and social sustainability to activism and art.

Focusing on constructed work, 200 exemplar projects have been carefully selected from around the world illustrating the bridge between theory and practice, with interviews from key figures, before and after photos and diagrams. The importance of consultation and engagement with communities and stakeholders is also documented throughout the text.

The book is beautifully and clearly presented with links to further resources and a free companion website making it an essential text for both students and practitioners in the profession alike.

An impressive contribution to the profession and one that will no doubt fulfill the author’s intent to ‘provoke and inspire discussion, further research and offer design solutions’. This book will have a far-reaching influence on the profession, as well as being an excellent introduction to the scope of the discipline for students of landscape architecture.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

City of Sydney Landscape Code

Oculus

The Sydney Landscape Code provides a clear and informative guide to landscape requirements for development applications while encouraging high quality landscapes based on best practice design and sustainability principles. Every consideration to detail is given from soil requirements through to advice on letterbox placement, each element presented with clear, beautiful diagrams, intelligently simple language and carefully chosen images.

The code is cross referenced with any relevant Council documents to ensure clarity and enable a smooth process for both the applicant and the Council. With extra advice on site planning and descriptions of theories that underpin the profession of landscape architecture, the Code illustrates a first-rate approach to the process of landscape for development applications and is a fine example to other Councils around the country.

Award of Excellence 2017

Cool Streets Pilot Project

Libby Gallagher Studio

The Cool Streets Pilot Project effectively demonstrates how landscape architects can assist communities in building resilience to the anticipated extreme heat events that are inevitable with climate change. The suburban environments of Western Sydney are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon now, and they are likely to become more frequent and more intense. The project draws on the body of knowledge that is building around the potential effectiveness of street tree planting in cooling neighbourhoods and streetscapes. The approach taken by Libby Gallagher Studio demonstrates an exemplary process of community engagement; not just informing residents of imminent change, but also providing understanding and creating a sense of agency, providing a basis for influencing their opinions and changing behaviours.

The jury gave an Award of Excellence for this project due to the high level of rigour in carrying out the engagement and documentation of this project and its processes. We also believe this is pilot project provides a replicable approach that can work in many other settings, and should be promoted to local authorities where street tree planting programs could provide much needed relief. The physical transformation of these ‘cool’ streetscapes is an excellent demonstration of engaging with community to positively change their local environments.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Gold Street Community Park

UDLA

UDLA, with EarthCare Landscapes, facilitated the design and construction of the upgrade of the Gold Street Community Park in South Fremantle. Undertaken in a facilitated and democratic manner, in collaboration with the local authority, has led to a great outcome for the Gold Street Park Community. The participatory style was strongly supported by the City of Fremantle, who saw this as an opportunity to trial a new approach to parks; one in which the long-term outcomes could potentially result in greater community satisfaction, ongoing community involvement, and also realise cost savings in relation to construction and maintenance.

The park upgrade provides a unique facility, purpose built for local community needs, over which the local community feels a strong sense of ownership. The project submission included a heartfelt video of a participant who made the case for the community benefits projects like these can deliver. As is frequently the case, participants provide the best testimonials: “The design process run by UDLA has completely changed the nature of our park and in fact, our community. UDLA managed to bring together diverse community members who have different needs and views, and facilitate a process which brought us together in a shared vision of not only our future park, but how we would use it and interact with each other. It’s an incredible result both for the public space, and for the community.” (Gold Street Park Community Representative)

There was a notable diversity of landscapes entered in this category, representing the wide number of approaches being taken in gardens today.

Award of Excellence 2017

Private Client

TCL Landscape Architects

A sophisticated sensory garden that provides a delicate counterpoint to the monumental architecture of the house. Beguiling and theatrical, this garden is all about creating a lush, leafy escape. What it lacks in dry-tolerance (for many of the plants have high water needs) it makes up for in its lightness of touch. The layered plantings, the rich interplays of form and texture and the highly refined compositions work hard to soften the austerity of the building. This is a big-statement garden to fit with the big-statement architecture but it manages to be graceful at the same time.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Hermitage Private Garden

360^o Landscape Architects

A striking garden that is compelling from both horticultural and spatial points of view. There is a respect for the garden’s lengthy history but also an embrace of a more contemporary sensibility.

Despite the enormity of this project, including the diversity of microclimates and the wide range of ages, styles and origins of its plants, the resulting garden reads as one. The different areas and landscape treatments all tie well together. The transformation of the tennis court into what is effectively an edible roof garden (the garage is below) stood out for its focus on urban food production, seasonality and sustainability.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Quandong Garden

Oxigen

A relaxed and robust family space that is tended in such a way that embraces the constant growth and change that is part and parcel of all gardens. It illustrates how gardens evolve over time and how the best spaces are rarely instant. The lack of preciousness is emphasized by using tough Australian plants and local materials. But nothing seems to be left to its own devices. It is an actively gardened and highly used space that celebrates gardens and gardening as a central component of everyday life.

Award of Excellence 2017

Colonel Light Centre Forecourt

City of Adelaide

A living wall that is perfectly integrated with a 1970s high-rise, thereby highlighting how green infrastructure can be successfully retrofitted to existing structures. The mix of climbing and cascading plants creates a wrap-around effect that is thick, layered and voluminous but that never obscures the Brutalist detailing of the building.

The variety of foliage textures, shapes and colors softens an otherwise harsh public landscape making it a more inviting and intimate place to gather. The ‘family tree motif’ artwork in the forecourt paving adds another layer of visual interest and forges a connection between the vertical wall and the trees already growing in the forecourt. In addition, the green wall links to the wider natural landscape by providing habitat for wildlife, harvesting storm water, improving air quality and cooling the temperature of the immediate surrounds through plant transpiration.

This landscape was originally submitted in the Civic Landscape section and while this project demonstrates how councils can use sophisticated green infrastructure technologies to create more vibrant and inviting public spaces, the jury thought its relatively contained scale seemed more in keeping with the “small project” award category.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

Tully Memorial Park Flood Markers

City of Logan

A poetic and sculptural initiative that addresses both the history of the site and the ways in which it might be altered by future climate change.

This is a well-conceived and well-delivered project that highlights the connections between local residents and the Logan River. The wide spread ramifications of rising water levels are emphasized by the way the markers – made with timber recycled from a demolished local bridge—are visible from the nearby highway. Lighting ensures these markers can also be seen in the dark, which only adds to the night-and-day sense of drama associated with a flooding river.

The simplicity of this project belies the widespread ramifications of rising water levels and global warming.

Landscape Architecture Award 2017

MESA Sostenible

Paddock Studio

Driving systemic change within a foreign country’s food production network would seem a daunting task to most. Paddock Studio are leading by example through the MESA Sostenible project. Their skilled articulation of the benefits of sustainable farming practices has delivered a shining example for building resilient communities everywhere. The project focus on deep community engagement, including working with the local Agricultural College, has delivered a strategic framework in tune with both the local landscape and the daily life of this community. While on the ground initiatives are just emerging now, the jury believe this ambitious, highly scalable, on-the-ground project is deserving of a National Award.