Australia's landscape architecture celebrated
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Oct 31, 2018
Australia's landscape architecture celebrated
Western Australia has dominated the 2018 National Landscape Architecture Awards, held by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA).
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AILAPictured: Railway Square in Western Australia won the Landscape Architecture Award. -
AILAPictured: HOTA Outdoor Stage in Queensland, which won the Landscape Architecture Award -
AILAPictured: Darebin Trail Link in Victoria took home the Award of Excellence for Infrastructure.
The awards recognised 38 winners over 14 categories, celebrating leading projects of all sizes across Australia.
The awards program acknowledges how landscape architects are helping to shape cities and towns to tackle the major issues facing people from all walks of life, including an ageing population, climbing obesity and diabetes rates, transport challenges and the increasing importance of positive mental health.
AILA National Awards Jury Chair Sara Kjaersgaard says landscape architects are fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our communities, which is reflected through the awards.
“The awarded projects are sensitive, thoughtful and ambitious responses to repairing and improving our Australian landscapes. This is of critical importance at a time of increasing urbanisation and climate change," Ms Kjaersgaard told WILLIAMS MEDIA.
The awards reflect the vast scale of projects designed by landscape architects.
Projects celebrated included the Sunshine Coast’s Palmwoods Town Square, and smaller projects like the Ian Potter Children’s WILDPLAY Garden.
The winners include:
Award of Excellence for Civic Landscape - Newman Town Square, UDLA Pty Ltd
Pictured: Newman Town Square. Image supplied by AILA.
Newman Town Square was the final stage of works in the Newman Town Centre revitalisation project, which has been implemented over seven years from 2010 to 2017.
The Town Square, which is a centrepiece to the Town Centre redevelopment includes an oasis of large shade trees and turf to provide a cool respite to what was previously acres of an asphalted car park and industrial hard stand.
The 2,600 sqm square incorporates shaded walkway, seating spine, sculptural water feature/artworks, a large media screen and a stage with AV infrastructure to support community performances and events. The landscape is supported with large shade structures, a business incubator, a commercial kitchen, public toilets and a mezzanine function space.
The open space supports many active community events, such as yoga, dog walking, as well as family events such as twilight movies.
Landscape Architecture Award for Playspaces - The Ian Potter Children's Wild Play Garden at Centennial Parklands
Pictured: The Ian Potter Children's Wild Play Garden at Centennial Parklands. Image supplied by AILA.
"On an undulating hillside within Centennial Park one enters a secret garden in which the play elements merge with the landscape setting, creating a journey of discovery for children and their families.
It breaks out of the usual paradigm in which the play structures stand in isolation for children to play whilst the parents sit around the periphery. The inventive, site specific play elements are made of natural materials.
They include a tree house and climbing structure with a slippery slide, water-play ponds and fountains, bamboo tunnels and maze-like spaces, timber beam balance structures arranged to represent the famous Centennial Park eel," says the citation.
Excellence Award for Parks and Open Space - Bungarribee at Doonside
Pictured: Bungarribee at Doonside. Image supplied by AILA.
"Bungaribee is a new public park in Western Sydney that artfully combines recreation, culture and environment. The park’s design presents a new and innovative parkland type for Western Sydney.
"The Park gains much of its strength and relevance through the development of design approaches that use scale, materials, art and ecologies to celebrate both existing and new landscapes layered within the site," the citation says.
Excellence Award for Parks and Open Spaces - Optus Stadium Park, HASSELL
Pictured: Optus Stadium Park. Image supplied by AILA.
Stadium Park on the Burswood Peninsula is home to the Perth’s new Optus Stadium. The 41-hectare precinct, designed by HASSELL, forms a gateway to the city and provides a stunning parkland setting for the world-class sports and entertainment events stadium; as well as an impressive array of casual recreational facilities for Perth’s community to enjoy 365 days a year.
Related reading:
Winners announced at 2018 Queensland Landscape Architecture Awards
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