NSW’s Best Landscapes Bolster Sustainability in Cities & Regions

The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has announced the winners of the 2023 NSW State Awards at an event held in Sydney. The jury, made up of renowned landscape architects, honoured 39 winners for their dedication to nature, ecology and consultation with the community, including with First Nations People.

Jury Chair Suellen Fitzgerald says the winners prove the critical role of landscape architects in responding to climate change and the positive impact of the profession on the community at large.

“This year’s winners demonstrate how the profession is responding to key environmental and social issues right across NSW including flooding, coastal protection, resilience to climate change and restoring activation and economies in cities and towns in the aftermath of Covid-19,” she says.

“These are big issues for NSW and landscape architects are stepping up to the challenge.”

Major public spaces awarded ASPECT Studios won the top Award of Excellence prize in the Civic Landscape category for its Quay Quarter Lanes project. Quay Quarter Lanes stitches together the redevelopment of two heritage buildings and three new mixed-use buildings at Circular Quay. The jury says the project “contributes to a more walkable, more welcoming city” and “will be loved by the city for decades to come”.

The Sydney Modern, designed by McGregor Coxall, was honoured with a Landscape Architecture Award. The gardens are inspired by the harbourfront endemic landscape of Gadigal Country and feature more than 50,000 native Australian plants. The jury says “the landscape design complements the architecture of the new building and its unique parkland setting on Gadigal Country overlooking Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Modern provides an exceptional experience of art, architecture and landscape.”

JMD design took out a Landscape Architecture Award for its Bondi Pavilion project, which included upgrading internal courtyards and the pavilion’s immediate surroundings. The design explores the pavilion’s interwar Mediterranean Style, celebrates its past and provides flexible recreational uses for the community. The jury says it recognised that “the heart of Bondi Beach has been enlivened by the Bondi Pavilion as a well-executed public space project.”

TYRRELLSTUDIO’s Seven Ways Bondi project was also celebrated with a Landscape Architecture Award. The design creates a unique new place for people at one of the busiest intersections in Bondi.

The jury says the project “rejuvenates local businesses and demonstrates the potential of landscape architecture to connect a community.”

All winners at the State Awards level proceed to the National Landscape Architecture Awards held later this year.

AILA is the peak body for Landscape Architecture in Australia, championing quality design for public open spaces, stronger communities, and greater environmental stewardship.

More information: aila.org.au