Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 160 November 2018 i Landscape Architecture Australia

RAILWAY SQUARE MIDLAND (WA) Project team: Place Laboratory 2018 AUDA jury comment This space builds on one hundred years of industrial and railway history to make a big statement at a small scale, acting as a centrepiece and consolidating factor for a long-term urban renewal project in the Perth suburb of Midland. By carefully considering multiple points of access, promoting a variety of uses and basing the design on the industrial heritage of the railway yards, the designers have created an active precinct that will form an important part of the community fabric over the next hundred years. For more coverage, see landscapeaustralia.com/articles/new-heritage-railway-square Client Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority Artist Stuart Green Water feature consultant CADsult Civil engineer TABEC Engineers Electrical engineer ETC Engineering Contractor MG Group Structural engineer TERPKOS Engineering Photography…

In March 2018, AILA launched the Gender Equity in Landscape Architecture Project, which aims to investigate the participation of women in landscape architecture and to develop strategies to address gender inequity in the profession. As a complex structural and cultural issue, gender equity needs to be addressed at every level of the profession. In parallel to the formal, institute-initiated study, we need to build a true discourse around this issue – as individuals and practices, in all spaces of the profession. In 2017, AILA included gender as a statistical variable for the first time in its annual salary survey, revealing two significant facts: that women are underrepresented in senior leadership positions and that, except in the position of junior landscape architect, they are paid less than men across all other…

Newman Town Centre UDLA Location Newman, Western Australia Aboriginal Nation Nyiyaparli and Martu Client LandCorp and Shire of East Pilbara Photography Greg Hocking JURY COMMENT From planning to execution, this project demonstrates excellence in leadership and provides the town of Newman with a wonderful legacy project. It will continue to foster socially and financially sustainable community interaction. The square is a significant component of the Newman Town Centre revitalization project. It provides significant shade trees across a 2,600-square-metre civic plaza that was previously hardstand carpark. The creation of a new civic space assists the regional community of Newman to transition from a mineral-dependent region to one that is more livable, and puts community and identity at the heart of the town. The project highlights the opportunities that come with authentic reconciliation approaches…

Fish Lane RPS JURY COMMENT Through a series of purposeful interventions, Fish Lane has transformed a previously neglected backstreet into a vibrant urban experience celebrating Brisbane’s outdoor lifestyle. The laneway is now a safe and legible pedestrian space, showcasing local artists and linking the cultural hub of South Bank to the densifying suburb of West End. The grungy, urban character of this part of town has been retained, underlined by new retail and dining interventions and new seating, lighting and wayfinding. The jury commended the role of the landscape architects as urban advocates in the delivery of an outstanding piece of public infrastructure. Landscape architecture RPS Lighting consultant Luxxbox Pavement artwork Brick N Pave Civil design Michael Bale and Associates Location South Brisbane, Queensland Aboriginal Nation Yagara/Turrbal Client Aria Property…

Ian Potter Children’s Wild Play Garden Aspect Studios JURY COMMENT On an undulating hillside within Centennial Park, one enters a secret garden in which inventive site-specific play elements made from natural materials merge with the landscape setting, creating a journey of discovery for visitors. The design breaks out of the usual paradigm in which the play structures stand in isolation from their context. Rich, diverse and layered plantings define a sequence of spaces that offer changing perspectives for adults and children and a place for environmental education. Close collaboration with Centennial Parklands and the Centennial Parklands Foundation has made this achievement possible. Project lead and landscape architecture Aspect Studios Architecture (amenities building) Sam Crawford Architects Design and construction for bamboo tunnels Cave Urban Civil engineer Lindsay Dynan Landscape contractor Design…

Plant Bank 360 Degrees Landscape Architects JURY COMMENT The Plant Bank is a research institute, seed repository and public building at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan in south-western Sydney. The seed bank is the largest collection of plant seeds in the country. Its landscape design reinforces this and serves as an outstanding reminder of the value of native flora in maintaining landscape systems and community identity as significant components of cultural heritage. The landscape architects have ensured a seamless integration with the building and beautifully reinforced the objectives of conserving seed for the future. An explorative and imaginative use of materials, especially the paving inlays and the mirrored undercroft, elevates this important cultural project to an exceptional level. The project demonstrates a unique collaboration between the consultant and the…

Rockhampton Riverside Urbis JURY COMMENT This project provides a new focus for Rockhampton, helping to reconnect the city to the river with a sequence of hard and soft landscapes connected in one seamless pedestrian environment. A variety of scales and types of landscape provide flexible social spaces that invite multiple uses and stimulate outdoor activity. The high-quality materials and detailing and the successful integration of art, technology and play create a vibrant, robust urban waterfront. The project will bring long-term economic benefits to the local area. Design practice Urbis Architecture Woods Bagot Food service and beverage consultant Vision Hospitality Civil and traffic engineer McMurtrie Consulting Engineers Structural engineer Kehoe Myers Consulting Engineers Geotech Butler Partners Quantity surveyor QQS Electrical, mechanical and fire engineer Anderson Consulting Engineers Irrigation Edwards Irrigation Public…

Maravista CUSP JURY COMMENT The Maravista Plantation masterplan celebrates food tourism, landscape and sustainability by bringing good site planning and design principles to this private rural landholding. The design team has thoughtfully captured the client’s vision and passion for innovation, while balancing the social, economic and environmental challenges of an evolving tourism industry. This project demonstrates the value of the landscape architecture profession working in new ways to define landscapes for food production, education and ecotourism. Location Cootharaba, Queensland Aboriginal Nation Kabi Kabi Client Ogilvie Group Photography Sam Frysteen HOTA Outdoor Stage CUSP, Topotek 1, ARM Architecture JURY COMMENT This project is the exciting first phase of the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct Masterplan. Wrapped in a landscape, the stage celebrates the local climate and context and provides new opportunities for…

Interpretive Wonderings Interpretive Wonderings Team JURY COMMENT Interpretive Wonderings is an important and beautiful body of design research, a collation of interrelated events that began with an invitation to map the landscape of an Aboriginal community-owned station property in southern New South Wales. It offers a critical approach to environmental challenges, illustrating how the sharing of knowledge systems might broaden and deepen our understanding and thereby shed new light on how we might sustain Australia’s fragile landscape for future generations. It establishes a valuable framework for collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the future, an important step on the path to reconciliation. Project team Jock Gilbert (RMIT University), Sophia Pearce (La Trobe University), Campbell Drake (UTS), Sven Mehzoud (Massey University) Location Culpra Station, New South Wales Aboriginal Nation Paakantji Client Culpra Milli…

Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Rush Wright Associates JURY COMME The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre has transformed thinking about health design in Australia, intrinsically integrating the curative benefits of access to landscape, views and natural light into the design. The project is impressive in its botanic diversity. Secluded rainforest niches and courtyards provide respite and reflection, while large, active rooftop terraces offer a mix of social spaces. Additional rooftop terraces are designed like casual backyards, planted with productive trees and edible understoreys. The jury commended the ambition of the gardens, which reinforces the principle that biodiversity is the essential platform for all human health. Design practice Rush Wright Associates Irrigation design and documentation Ten Buuren Irrigation Designs Builder Grocon PCL Landscape subcontractor Baron Forge Architecture McBride Charles Ryan/Silver Thomas Hanley/Design Inc…

NEW MASTERPLAN FOR KAKADU TOWN The Northern Territory government and Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) have unveiled a new masterplan for a township in Kakadu National Park. Developed by Stafford Strategy Consultancy Group with architect NAAU and landscape architect Enlocus in collaboration with GAC, the masterplan represents the local Indigenous Mirarr people’s vision for the future of Jabiru, a town built by a subsidiary of Rio Tinto in 1982 to service the nearby Ranger Uranium Mine. Masterplan elements include a World Heritage Interpretation Centre, a rehabilitated lake and recreated wetlands with eco-recreational facilities, a horticultural strategy, a Traditional Owner Resource Centre, a housing strategy, a government services hub, an education precinct and an airport. mirarr.net / dcm.nt.gov.au RESILIENT SYDNEY PLAN LAUNCHED The City of Sydney has launched its first resilience strategy…

DARLING HARBOUR TRANSFORMATION SYDNEY (NSW) Project team: Hassell / Hassell and Populous 2018 AUDA jury comment The Darling Harbour Transformation has been the most significant makeover of this popular urban precinct in twenty years. Using the opportunity of a new International Convention Centre as a catalyst, the revitalization was driven by an urban design framework focused on the public realm, creating a more cohesive and legible urban structure that reintegrates the precinct with adjacent neighbourhoods and public transport. The public realm has been restructured along a central, eucalypt-lined pedestrian spine extending from Central Station to Cockle Bay. Tired, over-loved places have been re-energized and engaging new places have been created for people to gather, interact and relax within a carefully curated landscape that includes public art. The project refreshes this…

Railway Square Place Laboratory JURY COMMENT Railway Square is a beautiful, multi-layered and robust response to a historic industrial site that creates a new public space that is both authentic and compelling. The interpretation of the site’s heritage has been informed by in-depth research, which was influenced further by user audits asking how people might use the site in the future. The project includes significant remediation of the site as well as the development of a strong return brief to ensure that the public realm will transform the surrounding precinct as it evolves. High-quality finishes and bespoke elements transform the site into a delightful and playful civic space to be enjoyed by all. Design practice Place Laboratory Electrical consultant Engineering Technology Consultants Civil consultant TABEC Structural consultant Terpkos Engineering Builder…

The Living Knowledge Stream Design Guidance for Curtin UniversitySyrinx Environmental JURY COMMENT Songlines connect places to people and inform us how to sustain ourselves in someone else’s Country. This in-depth study for Curtin University interprets two songlines and integrates Indigenous knowledge into meaningful design outcomes for all people. The design team has created an exemplary standard for design guidance, successfully encompassing the social, cultural, physical and spiritual elements that determine community and environmental wellbeing. The landscape architects and client are to be commended for their broad vision. In revealing the richness of the local ecological and cultural landscape, this project will ultimately underpin an exceptional contemporary university culture. Project team Syrinx Environmental, Sync7, Dr Noel Nannup Location Bentley, Western Australia Aboriginal Nation Whadjuk Images Syrinx Environmental…

Darebin Yarra Trail LinkVicRoads Urban Design Team and VicRoads Structural Design Team JURY COMMENT The Darebin Yarra Trail Link is an exciting and beautifully executed project. The leadership, vision and dedication of a multidisciplinary team have delivered an iconic infrastructure project that is an exemplar for Australia. This project is the result of twenty-five years of community advocacy. Set in a complex and environmentally sensitive location, the project clearly involved extensive collaboration with adjoining property holders and other stakeholders. The 2.7-kilometre shared user trail provides a vital missing link in a network of more than six hundred kilometres of metropolitan off-road trails. The hand of the landscape architects is evident in the detail, integration and beauty of this infrastructure. The link Infrastructure is highly effective in promoting active transport, while…

Railway Square Place Laboratory JURY COMMENT Railway Square is set among twentieth-century industrial buildings and demonstrates an innovative approach to the adaptive re-use of rail corridor land. The jury was impressed by the way the project successfully celebrates the history of the area while reflecting the past and looking toward the future. The project clearly distils a narrative of the post-industrial area that considers both day and night community occupation. The relationship between the landscape architect and the stakeholders has ensured that this project will be successful as the area continues to regenerate and gentrify. Design practice Place Laboratory Electrical consultant Engineering Technology Consultants Civil engineer TABEC Structural engineer Terpkos Engineering Builder MG Group Location Midland, Western Australia Aboriginal Nation Whadjuk Client Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority Photography Dion Robeson Point Nepean…

Chain of Ponds – An Action Plan for Moonee Ponds Creek Site Office JURY COMMENT The Chain of Ponds action plan takes a comprehensive and sophisticated approach to issues faced in the restoration of the somewhat mistreated Moonee Ponds creek line. It recognizes the creek line system as a necessary piece of blue infrastructure that supports the community’s structure and future. The action plan, led by Site Office, builds on previous analytical studies of the creek line and provides an opportunity to inform and influence others, including governments, with its clear holistic views of strategic planning and management. Landscape architecture and urban design Site Office Environmental engineer Storm Consulting Ecological values Practical Ecology Natural resource management Physii Nature Cultural heritage values Extent Heritage Website and interactive map Harvest Digital Project…

Valley Lake Lookout McGregor Coxall JURY COMMENT This project invites the visitor to enjoy the sublime beauty of the quarry space by creating a simple, elegant viewing platform. The extended cantilever of the platform leans out over the human-made quarry, providing thrilling views both from and toward the platform. The well-considered detailing of the structure mirrors the site’s industrial past and allows the landscape to dominate the experience. The jury was impressedby the way the project celebrates suburbia through the simplicity of the platform and the drama and boldness of its positioning. Design practice McGregor Coxall Structural engineer 4D Workshop Lighting Glowing structures Geotechnical consultant Golder Associates Quantity surveyor Prowse Quantity Surveyors Location Keilor East, Victoria Aboriginal Nation Wurundjeri Client Development Victoria Photography courtesy McGregor Coxall Coxall Immigration Museum Activat…

Place of Healing UDLA JURY COMMENT This project demonstrates a deep understanding of Indigenous planning, management and cultural heritage as well as intergenerational cultural healing. The site is significant. It provides a safe haven for members of the Western Australian stolen generation who were taken to live in the nearby Sister Kate’s Home, established in 1934 to house Aboriginal children removed from their families and Country across the state. The reimagined bush block builds the capacity of the Sister Kate’s Home Kids Aboriginal Corporation by providing an event space, a healing walk, an edible garden, a fauna and flora walk, vehicle access and office facilities. Design practice UDLA Collaborators Sister Kate’s Home Kids Aboriginal Corporation and Indigenous Land Corporation Location Queens Park, Western Australia Aboriginal Nation Whadjuk Client Sister Kate’s Home Kids Aboriginal…

NOTE: WHERE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WAS DECLARED BY A MEMBER OF THE JURY, THE JUROR ABSTAINED FROM THE CATEGORY IN QUESTION.…

MAIN STREET BARCALDINE BARCALDINE (QLD) Project team:M3 Architecture and Brian Hooper Architect (architects in association) 2018 AUDA jury commen Main Street Barcaldine demonstrates significant regional investment in high-quality urban design that responds sensitively to the local context. It exhibits excellence in a broad range of criteria associated with this award, including successful activation of public space, sustainable urban governance, increased connectivity and cultural expression. At its heart is the historically and politically significant “Tree of Knowledge.” The spatial experience pays homage to the canopy that once surrounded the tree and provides a new place for the community to come together and connect. The project displays courage in using urban design as a catalyst for economic revitalization, seen through increased visitation and pedestrian activity. The use of retail theory is a…

Optus Stadium Park Hassell JURY COMMENT Optus Stadium Park has transformed a previously underused site into a vibrant community precinct and a new gateway to the city of Perth. Significant site constraints relating to flooding, contamination, settlement and access have been skilfully resolved. The design feels more like a parkland than a sports precinct, re-establishing the space as an important meeting place for the region. The jury commended the project for collaboration with Indigenous working groups, which is evident in the broader landscape gestures, commissioned artworks and inspired nature play spaces. The design process and delivered works are an exemplar for ongoing revitalization projects within the city context. For more coverage see landscapeaustralia.com/articles/optus-stadium-park Landscape architecture Hassell Architecture Hassell, Cox Architecture and HKS Structural and civil engineer BG&E/Arup Wayfinding consultant Büro…

Optus Stadium Park Hassell JURY COMMENT In this project, the landscape architects have delivered an extraordinary series of extensive playspaces within the parkland setting of the new Optus Stadium on Burswood Peninsula. Never before has such an impressive, all-encompassing collection of play areas been on offer in Perth, appealing to all ages while broadening visitors’ appreciation of nature, culture and diversity. Extensive engagement with the local Indigenous community and others has led to the inclusion of six zones, representing Noongar seasons. Each zone incorporates different plants, local materials, nature play themes, art and educational signage in interesting and diverse ways. The jury was impressed by the significant contribution this playspace makes to community infrastructure for the children and youth of Perth. The result is an entirely new kind of playspace…

Bungarribee at Doonside JMD Design JURY COMMENT This project succeeds in creating a transformational parkland that artfully integrates play into the natural landscape. Connecting paths invite you to explore the grassland and the creek, which have been repaired and given prominence. The design frames and celebrates the existing landscape, hinting at the pastoral and industrial past of the site while encouraging the visitor to appreciate the striking grasslands, big open sky and distant views. The over-scaled play features are sculptural landmarks that create iconic gathering spaces, subtly connected to the industrial objects from nearby. The park provides a substantial new typology for open space in western Sydney, creating inspiring places in which to play and socialize while revealing the cultural past and restoring the natural qualities of the place. Project…

Green Infrastructure: Planning a National Green Network for Australia Simon Kilbane JURY COMMENT The panel was struck by this novel exploration of environmental policy and ecological theory objectives intended to safeguard Australia’s biodiversity. The project pushes the established boundaries of the profession, applying a flexible research methodology from the continental to the local scale. The research considers that the creation of protected bioregional areas connected by conservation corridors will not succeed without robust designs to facilitate implementation. It demonstrates that broader regional objectives can be met while considering site-specific constraints and opportunities, an approach that holds widespread national and international appeal and resonates with policymakers. Researcher Simone Kilbane Supervisors Professor Richard Weller, Martin and Margy Meyerson Chair of Urbanism and Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at PennDesign; and Professor…

Temaiku Land and Urban PlanningJacobs JURY COMMENT Temaiku Land and Urban Planning addresses one of the greatest injustices played out today – the loss of home, community and culture due to climate change. The nation of Kiribati consists of thirty-three low-lying atolls across 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean, making it extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise, both economically and physically. The proposal reclaims three hundred hectares of land from the sea, offering hope to 35,000 people by relocating them two metres above predicted 2200 ocean levels. This project is an exemplar of climate change adaptation, in which landscape architects are front and centre in bringing about change for vulnerable communities. Urban design, landscape architecture, project management, environment, coastal engineer and social planning Jacobs 3D visualisation and video production Ai3D Artist…

Lingang Bird Airport McGregor Coxall JURY COMMENT The Lingang Bird Airport proposal would provide habitat for fifty million birds within the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF). One fifth of globally threatened waterbirds fly the EAAF and the corridor is the world’s most threatened due to coastal urbanization. Using “sponge city” principles, recycled wastewater and harvested rainwater, this speculative, imaginative work proposes to turn sixty-one hectares of previously degraded landfill into a wetland. Filled with walking trails and educational opportunities, the wetland would also connect to a green infrastructure corridor of forests and farmland around the city. This project demonstrates the benefits of landscape architects engaging with complex global issues. Project team Choi Ropiha Fighera, Arup, Avifauna Research and Services, Steensen Varming, Urbanite, Aura Shanghai Studio, Tianjin Ifeng Space Media Co and…