Winners announced for the 2017 Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards

Thirteen projects have received awards at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ (AILA) Victorian Landscape Architecture Awards, announced Friday 21 July in Melbourne.

A civic focus came through loud and clear with the jury complementing all the entries that included and promoted community interaction, specifically noting the contributions to the future health, liveability and resilience of our cities, suburbs and regional centres.

“Participants are to be commended for the impressive quality of projects, which, drawn together, highlight the breadth of influence that landscape architecture exerts across our built and natural environment,” said jury chair Adam Nitschke.

“Sound engagement with communities and across complex stakeholder networks continues to be a foundation of what we do well. Clearly a strength of the profession, engagement brings landscape architecture to the people, raising its profile and relevance, and bringing authenticity and ownership to the design of our public spaces,” said Nitschke.

Of the winning projects our pick is the Wootten Road Reserve Grassland Play Space. The “community habitat” for the suburb of Tarneit is inspired by the local basalt grassland ecology and the settlers homestead remnants. The project deliberately seeks to juxtapose active recreation with natural ecology and historic interpretation with fun play to provide insights into the local heritage and stimulate the establishment of a heart within the new community.

The winners of Awards of Excellence or Landscape Architecture Awards will be considered for the AILA national landscape architecture awards, to be announced in Sydney in October.

Parks and Open Space
Award of Excellence
Wooten Road Reserve Interpretation Space – GLAS Urban

Play Spaces
Landscape Architecture Awards
Valley Reserve SPARC – Playce
Rosebud Foreshore Playspace – Hassell

Infrastructure
Award of Excellence
Remembrance Drive Interchange – Oculus in collaboration with VicRoads and Paul Thompson

Landscape Architecture Award
Jock Marshall Nature Reserve Walk – Urban Initiatives

Land Management
Award of Excellence
Armstrong Creek Rejuvenation (with Waralily) – GbLA

Urban Design
Award of Excellence
Hawthorn Arts Centre Civic Space – Site Office

Landscape Planning
Landscape Architecture Award
University Square Master Plan – City of Melbourne, City Design Studio

Research, Policy and Communication
Award of Excellence
Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability: Creating Positive Change Through Design – Joshua Zeunert

Community Contribution
Landscape Architecture Award
The Journey Interactive Map – Tract Consultants

Small Projects
Landscape Architecture Award
Marnebek Sensory Courtyard – Jeavons Landscape Architects

Gardens
Award of Excellence
NGV Grollo Equiset Garden – Oculus

Landscape Architecture Award
Towers Road Residence – TCL

Future Leaders
Georgia Chisolm, Nathan Collins