The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has announced the winners of the 2023 TAS State Awards. The jury awarded seven projects across various categories, from health and education landscapes through to public parks, civic spaces and small projects.
Jury Chair Naomi Barun says the winners prove the positive impact landscape architects have on Tasmanians’ lives.
“This year’s entries demonstrated some big learnings across the industry in cultural engagement and value. There was a real maturity both in the engagement and respect that landscape architecture practices had for Traditional Owners, and the cultural connection they have with these places. This is a clear reflection on the advocacy and leadership of landscape architects in this space and the acceptance and willingness of clients,” Naomi says.
“Projects in this year’s program were applauded for their painterly approach in the use of plants in the balance of the beauty and the applied science of horticulture. This enabled an expression of seasonality, time, and a visible rendering of the ecological systems.”
Community spaces honoured for commitment to designing with Country
Kingston Park, designed by Playstreet for the Kingborough Council, is a sprawling parkland and play space connecting the Kingston CBD to Whitewater Creek and visually to kunanyi/Mt Wellington. The project took out an Award of Excellence in the Parks and Open Space category. Tasmanian Aboriginal history and culture was a crucial aspect of the design, and Playstreet undertook extensive consultation to ensure sensitivity to Country. Kingston Park has become a regional destination that is loved by locals.
The jury says it “commends Playstreet for rooting their design process in deep collaboration with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, artists and the broader local community. The result is a park that skilfully connects into a broader network of open space, responding to the history and culture of the place. A clear visual harmony ties nine distinct age appropriate play spaces together, allowing for joyful exploration and immersion within a distinctly Tasmanian landscape.”
Inveresk Urban Realm, designed by REALMstudios for the University of Tasmania, won a Landscape Architecture Award in the Civic Landscape category. The Inveresk Urban Realm project is inspired by the design concept of reconnecting people to place.
The jury says “REALMstudios has created a resilient precinct expressing spatial diversity that enables learning, experimentation, reflection, and social gathering. The outcome is a people-oriented precinct measured through dynamic movement, key sightlines, deep wayfinding, activity points and social amenity.”
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald Frisby Landscape Architecture’s West Tamar Trails Strategy for West Tamar Council won a Regional Achievement Award. The West Tamar Trails Strategy was prepared to provide a strategic planning framework to deliver a comprehensive network of trails that connects people, places and spaces. The strategy focuses on walking, cycling and shared use trails that provide opportunities for active transport, exercise, social interaction and sight-seeing for visitors and the local community.
Small projects shine
Harriet’s Garden, designed by Playstreet, won a Landscape Architecture Award in the Small Projects category. The project involved a beautiful extension to a Georgian cottage in Launceston. The architecture, by So: Architecture, set up an opportunity for landscape architects Playstreet to create an interesting and challenging garden. The Tasmanian native plantings are designed to grow as a living tapestry, cascading down the slope in a variety of structural forms, textures and seasonally-changing colours. From planter boxes on the side retaining walls, more plants will spill over and cover the brickwork. A narrow side alley is planted as a micro-Tasmanian rainforest.
The jury says “Harriet’s Garden is a wonderful example of landscape and architecture working together to create a thoughtful and beautiful home. Each diverse space in this small garden has been carefully considered and executed, with plantings native to Tasmania designed for varying functional and microclimatic situations. Playstreet is commended on an outcome that is a lush, delightful and pervasive landscape presence, bringing character that is both unique and of its place.”
The Tasmanian awards are held every two years. 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.
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Image: Kingston Park by Adam Gibson
Download 2023 TAS Awards Press Release