Forecast Festival of Landscape Architecture

Brisbane will host a pioneering event exploring the future of how the landscapes of our cities and public spaces are designed and governed through the inaugural Forecast Festival of Landscape Architecture.

Presented by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), Forecast runs from October 16 – 18, and brings together thinkers, collaborators and innovators whose work intersects between landscape architecture, urban planning and governance.

A diverse group of 27 speakers will include renowned US landscape architect Julie Bargmann, an innovative designer in building regenerative landscapes, and leaders from some of Australia’s most revered landscape architecture and urban design practices including Site Office (Chris Sawyer), Taylor Cullity Lethlean (Perry Lethlean), JMD Design (Dr Anton James) and the National Capital Authority (Malcolm Snow).

With a strong theming around collaboration Forecast‘s Creative Directors Diana Snape and Sharon Mackay have built an engaging programme bringing speakers and audience together through forum style discussions on far-reaching topics.

―Forecast brings together architecture professionals, traffic engineers, city-planners from the public and private sectors — it‘s a broad range of people whose work crosses into landscape architecture,‖ says Snape.

―This format is essential because it celebrates the collaborative way in which landscape architects work.‖

Forecast‘s celebration of landscape architecture continues well outside of the festival and into Brisbane‘s public realm.

The festival aims to make a lasting impression on Brisbane, a city globally recognised for its highly activated outdoor public spaces, such as South Bank parklands, which forms Forecast‘s backdrop.

Landscape Architects Tract Consultants will create a festival hub at the State Library of Queensland, reflecting the ambitions of the festival and taking inspiration from Brisbane‘s stunning natural assets.

The festival will also host a free public exhibition featuring work from some of Australia’s top landscape and architecture photographers at SLQ.

Inquisitive design minds are invited to go behind the scenes with the practices shaping the city‘s urban landscape through Forecast‘s innovative  ̳Come Back to My Place‘ events, with stop offs including studio tours, talks, project visits, an inner city beach swim and an insight into the remarkable subtropical garden built at Translational Research Institute in Woolloongabba.

―We thought – why not explore an idea in Brisbane that allows local practices to say  ̳this is us, this is our work and this is how we do it‘ and that is a great thing to be able to share not just with Landscape Architects, but with the broader public,‖ says Sharon Mackay.

The Festival comes at a time of exciting growth for the landscape architecture industry, which has been reflected in a surge of AILA‘s membership from 1,400 in February to 1,850 in August.

Many of these members will be on-hand to share their views at Forecast, which the creative directors hope will re-imagine the way landscape architects meet and celebrate the profession, share stories and learn through discourse and debate.

―People are becoming more and more aware of the importance of our public realm and urban spaces in the success and identity of our cities,‖ Snape says.

―It‘s these spaces in which landscape architecture has the skill and the strategic capacity to support good quality sustainable and successful urban design.‖

Much of Forecast Festival of Landscape Architecture, takes place at State Library of Queensland (SLQ), located on the river at South Bank, between 16–18 of October, to view a full schedule visit forecast.aila.org.au.