Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 188 November 2025 i Landscape Architecture Australia

Living Lab Northern Rivers University of Technology Sydney and Living Lab Northern Rivers Country Bundjalung Location Lismore, New South Wales Client Southern Cross University and Zion Engagement and Planning Jury comment Living Lab Northern Rivers exemplifies how landscape architecture can lead recovery and renewal and improve resilience in the face of climate disaster. Established on Bundjalung Country after the 2022 floods, the Lab brings together communities, First Nations knowledge holders, government, business and universities in a groundbreaking hybrid model of research, co-design and practice. Its continuous shopfront presence and full-time activation foster trust, empower community agency, and advance evidence-based approaches that address housing, biodiversity, waste, and flood resilience. The jury commends this whole-of-society initiative for breaking down silos, exploring new roles for landscape architects, and offering a powerful model for…

Green Our Roof Hassell Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Client City of Melbourne Location Melbourne, Victoria Jury comment Perched atop a significant government building on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, Green Our Rooftop redefines the garden as an instrument of ecological restoration and research. Biodiverse planting and micro habitats thrive in the absence of human visitation of the space, which is not conceived for human occupation. The jury admired its research-led approach, which captured performance through photography and data to inform future green infrastructure. This contemporary take on the garden embraces inaccessibility as a strength, offering beauty to the city while quietly testing, learning and shaping the future of urban ecological design. Lead design consultant Hassell Client group Department of Transport and Planning, City of Melbourne and Department of Energy, Environment and…

Barangaroo Station Park Arcadia Country Gadigal Location Barangaroo, New South Wales Client Mott Macdonald – Metron Jury comment The design team is commended for skilfully resolving the complexities of a metro station entrance brief in a site with layered histories and stories, creating a place of calm at the juncture of multiple circulation routes. The success of this project comes from the team’s ability to create a seamless transition around the station’s entrance by deftly stitching into the adjoining public spaces – the urban streetscape, the biodiverse parklands and the constructed sandstone cove. Cultural and historic stories are layered thoughtfully within the public realm, allowing the stories of this place to be appreciated. While primarily a place for movement, the public domain also creates a generous area for passive enjoyment…

Karunjie Homestead Visioning Plan Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, Mudmap Studio and Conservation Management Country Wilinggin Client Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation Location Kimberley, Western Australia Jury comment The Karunjie Homestead Visioning Plan delivers a culturally led pathway for the Ngarinyin people’s return to and care for their Country. Mudmap Studio and Conservation Management are to be commended for their deep listening, cultural respect and collaborative approach in co-creating a clear strategy with Traditional Owners. Honouring Ngarinyin values, the plan blends landcare, sustainable business and community life, with practical steps for caring for Country and capacity-building through the sharing of intergenerational knowledge. This project exemplifies cultural stewardship, strong partnerships, and a long-term vision for environmental, social and economic sustainability. Entrant practice Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, Mudmap Studio and Conservation Management Cultural collaborators Ngarinyin Collaborators Nyaliga…

Wimbo Park Surry Hills Sue Barnsley Design Country Gadigal Client City of Sydney Location Surry Hills, New South Wales Jury comment Wimbo Park fulfils the community’s call for a simple, nature-focused setting, offering generous, relaxed green open space reflective of an engagement-led process. The place-responsive design draws on local knowledge to instil a sense of pride and inspire community wellbeing. Transforming a linear reserve into a climate-responsible community park, the design revives the Botany Sands ecology and defines identity through functions of biodiversity, habitat, flood mitigation and generous tree canopy coverage. It blends diverse recreational uses with a considered expression of local history, resulting in a beautifully composed place. The jury applauds the contextually aware vision, technical skill and steered leadership that has resulted in the realisation of an enduring,…

Transforming to an Age-friendly World: Models of Co-design for Creating Age-friendly Public Green Spaces in Urban Neighbourhoods University of South Australia, City of Unley, Office for Ageing Well and Tract Country Kaurna Client City of Unley Location South Australia Jury comment Ageing is a big topic – and one of critical importance to Australia’s future. The issue of how we can shape more liveable and age-friendly environments is a worthy and important project. Here, the project team, led by scholar Zinan Chen, employed inclusive and respectful methods and tools to develop tangible, evidence-based solutions that go beyond conventional practices. The work highlights the contributions that landscape architects can make to this important topic. Research University of South Australia Community engagement City of Unley Policy connection Office for Ageing Well (South…

Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail Feasibility Study Fitzgerald Frisby Landscape Architecture Country Dja Dja Wurrung Client Castlemaine Maryborough Rail Trail Inc Location Castlemaine, Victoria Jury comment This feasibility study exemplifies how Traditional Custodian engagement can enrich a project’s design narrative. Guided by Dja Dja Wurrung elders, the trail unfolds as a journey through Country, connecting views of significant landforms where traditional names and stories could be shared. The jury commends the project’s leadership demonstrating the landscape architecture profession’s capacity to integrate cultural insight, technical expertise and stakeholder management. The result is a compelling vision: a trail as a series of stories, grounded in place. Entrant practice Fitzgerald Frisby Landscape Architecture Cultural collaborator Uncle Rick Nelson Planning, economics and tourism consulting Urban Enterprise Structural engineering Structcom Quantity surveying Newton Kerr and Partners…

Maidens Reserve Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Country Wadandi and Pinjarup Location Greater Bunbury, Western Australia Client Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Jury comment This exceptional project demonstrates how landscape architects can work with a nuanced understanding of the fragility of an existing landscape to enable increased visitation, while allowing ecosystems to be protected into the future. The reserve’s pathways have been carefully placed in response to the existing landscape, following advice from First Nations advisors. The team is commended for challenging standard approaches to access to achieve a path system that allows increased accessibility and blends into the existing terrain. The restrained material palette ensures the landscape remains the visual focus, with the elegantly detailed structures complimenting the landscape’s existing character. Entrant Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and…

Tiny Patches Glas Landscape Architects Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Client GLAS Landscape Architects Location Victoria Jury comment Tiny Patches is a small yet powerful project that demonstrates how no intervention is too modest to spark meaningful change. This creative and provocative project drew on research to call for a reimagining of urban landscapes in the face of biodiversity loss. The playful and provocative exhibition challenged conventional design thinking and called for urban landscapes – even those in highly developed contexts – to be reshaped with biodiversity and community life in mind. The jury commends the project for its First Nations leadership, creativity, beauty and message, noting how it pushes the boundaries of landscape architecture while inspiring us to see value in even the smallest contributions. Entrant practice GLAS Landscape Architects Cultural…

Moondani Balluk Realm Studios Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Location Footscray, Victoria Client Victoria University Jury comment Moondani Balluk is an exceptional project that exemplifies a respectful process of collaborative dialogue with First Nations clients in developing the design. The success of the project is evidenced by the client’s feedback that visiting Elders feel “warm and connected and belonging in here.” The design team’s commitment to regenerating Country, in a space that might otherwise appear too urbanised to be restored, is highly commended. The ongoing resilience of the courtyard has been enhanced through deliberate strategies to retain water in the landscape, accompanied by endemic planting selections that create a unique aesthetic appeal. Entrant practice Realm Studios Cultural collaborators Moondani Balluk Artist Paola Balla Art coordinator Artistic Merit Hydrology E2 Design Lab Architecture…

Mt Derrimut Road, Deer Park Station Hassell Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Client Level Crossing Removal Authority Location Deer Park, Victoria Jury comment A forgotten remnant of grasslands adjacent a carpark has been transformed into protected ecological zone and enhanced by endemic planting, creating a place for community to pause and be immersed in nature while commuting. The Deer Park Station landscape works demonstrate the design team’s commitment to protecting and regenerating Country through engagement with community, while fulfilling the safety and circulation requirements of a train station entry. The team’s approach to integrated cultural references in the design brings an added dimension to the outcome, allowing stories of the place to be shared with commuters. Entrant practice Hassell Cultural collaborators Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Aunty Gail Smith, Aunty Julieanne…

Washpool Creek Catchment Master Plan Tract Country Taribelang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang and Bailai Client Bundaberg Regional Council Location Bundaberg, Queensland Jury comment The Washpool Creek Master Plan presents a 30-year vision to transform a degraded catchment into a resilient, biodiverse ecosystem. Tract is commended for working closely with Traditional Custodians and the community, combining technical expertise with genuine collaboration. Their focus on engagement and innovative stormwater and WSUD strategies has shifted people’s perceptions of waterways, highlighting them as important cultural and environmental assets rather than just drains. This project boosts flood resilience, connects habitats, and helps build a healthier, safer and more climate-resilient community. Entrant practice Tract Cultural collaborators Taribelang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang and Bailai Ecology and engineering E2Designlab Images Tract Adventurous Spaces Guideline Department of Planning, Housing…

Archerfield Wetlands District Park Urbis Country Turrbal and Jagera Client Brisbane Sustainability Agency Location Durack, Queensland Jury comment Archerfield Wetlands District Park has been created on the site of a former wastewater treatment plant that was decommissioned in the 1990s. The design references the site’s former function and regenerates the degraded floodplain to create a bold and ambitious playground. References to the old treatment plant in the design have inspired unique play features, such as the leaky pipes. With a wide variety of play experiences, there is something for everyone to enjoy. The jury is impressed with the unrelenting commitment of the design team to interpreting the theme in interesting ways. This has resulted in a play space that is enticing to visitors of all ages. Design management, urban design…

Yaluk Langa Openwork Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Location Bulleen, Victoria Client Heide Museum of Modern Art Jury comment This is a sensitive project that respects space and Country. It emerged from a relationship between the Heidi Museum of Modern Art and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. The landscape architects stepped back and carefully considered the landscape’s existing character and attributes. The design nestles an intervention within the site’s natural amphitheatre, against the backdrop of the Birrarung, in a clearings among the trees. It allows the site to remain the hero. The design team’s thoughtful and careful use of local materials reflects a close collaboration with the community and has resulted in a project that is both beautiful and unimposing. Entrant practice Openwork Cultural collaborators Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural…

Parramatta Square JMD Design with TCL, Gehl and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Country Dharug Client City of Parramatta Location Parramatta, New South Wales Jury comment Parramatta Square is a confident and pragmatic achievement. It is an example of how landscape architects can be leaders in realising contemporary, civic-focused environments in intricate urban settings. This design is rich in cultural and historic layers. Advocacy, collaboration and technical excellence have enabled generous soil zones above basement to sustain thriving tree canopies and greening. These aspects are complemented by the use of enduring natural materials, curated spaces and a holistic approach to wayfinding, art, and the design of urban elements. The jury commends the genuine contribution made by the design to Parramatta’s civic life and city environment, shaped through continual engagement, including First Nations…

Green Pathways, Gold Places Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Australian Institute of Architects, Design Institute of Australia and Planning Institute of Australia Country Turrbal and Jagera Client Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Australian Institute of Architects, Design Institute of Australia and Planning Institute of Australia Location Brisbane, Queensland Jury comment The 2025 AILA President’s Award is presented to Green Path-ways, Gold Places in recognition of its outstanding leadership, advocacy and collaboration in advancing the profile and capability of the landscape architecture profession in Australia. Developed through the collective efforts of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Australian Institute of Architects, Planning Institute of Australia, and Design Institute of Australia, Green Pathways, Gold Places demonstrates an extraordinary commitment by the built environment professions to ensuring the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic…

01 Universal Access Gate The Universal Access Gate by Trailworx Australia is an inclusive solution for protecting trails and the natural environment. Stocked by Furphy Foundry, it allows access for wheelchairs, adaptive bikes and prams while effectively blocking trail bikes and all-terrain vehicles. —furphyfoundry.com.au 02 Manchester Slimline Double Cantilever Shelter This shelter by Astra Street Furniture features a sleek aluminium frame and corrugated roof. It combines tactile contrast with durable performance. Engineered to meet AS 1170 wind ratings and designed for modular installation, it offers both strength and flexibility. —astrastreetfurniture.com.au 03 Charge N Chill Designed to seamlessly integrate into any public space, this device charging station by GX Outdoors offers a sleek, modern look with a variety of colour options. It features both USB and wireless charging capabilities, providing a…

Bridge Mall Redevelopment Hassell Country Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Client City of Ballarat Location Ballarat, Victoria Jury comment The renewal of Bridge Mall reimagines a key Ballarat gateway through close collaboration with community and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. The design emerged from a thorough engagement process, embedding cultural knowledge and history into form, material and planting. The jury praised the gentle curve that breaks the street’s linearity, creating space for play, greening and gathering while balancing vehicle access with pedestrian priority. The result is a layered civic space that honours Country and supports local culture and amenity. Lead consultant, landscape architecture and urban design Hassell Cultural collaborators Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation Experience design Freestate Local landscape architect Plot Landscape Architects Planting design Paul Thompson Contractor 2Construct Civil and structural…

The Oval at Subi East UDLA and Oculus Country Whadjuk Location Subiaco, Western Australia Client Development WA Jury comment The Oval at Subi East is a benchmark in culturally led landscape design, reconnecting people, Country and place. Developed in close collaboration with the Whadjuk Elders Reference Group and Aboriginal Development Managers as equal partners, the project embeds Noongar knowledge across interpretive landscape design, public art, planting selection, and Aboriginal business opportunities. Trails and green links connect heritage and community, celebrating the deep social significance of Subiaco Oval. With a focus on sustainability and reuse, the project creates inclusive, engaging spaces that honour diverse heritages while fostering long-term trust and establishing a model for collaborative cultural design. Entrant practice UDLA and Oculus Knowledge sharing Subi East Elder Group Aboriginal development manager…

Richmond High School SBLA Studio Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Client SBLA Studio Location Richmond, Victoria Jury comment This transformation from concrete courtyard to place of respite, exploration and biodiversity exemplifies the ways in which landscape architects can lead with sustainable design thinking to create beautiful, high-amenity places. By embracing the “imperfection” of recycled concrete, exposing its raw edges and combining this with other horizontally layered materials, the designers acknowledge the space will evolve over time, as planting matures and further softens edges. The design supports explorative and risky play, encouraging resilience and opportunities for new social interactions and potentially fostering a love of natural places in the students. Entrant practice SBLA Studio Landscape contractor Hallmark Landscapes Cultural collaborator Doreen Garvey-Wandin Collaborators Emma Capper, Richmond High School students Images Pier Carthew…

Wagonga Inlet Living Foreshore Realm Studios Country Yuin Location Narooma, New South Wales Client Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries, the Nature Conservancy and the Oyster Reef Project Jury comment The Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline is an outstanding example of coastal protection in harmony with nature, culture and community. The design is to be commended for leading the replacement of a failing seawall with innovative nature-based solutions that restored over 3,000 square metres of saltmarsh, brought back rare oyster reefs, and created vital habitats for marine and birdlife. Initiated by Eurobodalla Shire Council, this highly collaborative effort involved Traditional Custodians, scientists, agencies and volunteers, empowering Indigenous rangers and fostering strong partnerships. This living, adaptable shoreline safeguards environmental, cultural and social values by buffering wave energy, improving water quality…

Maidens Reserve Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Country Wardandi and Pinjarup Location Greater Bunbury, Western Australia Client Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Jury comment Led by vision, care for the land and a spirit of collaboration, Maidens Reserve reveals the landscape architect’s skill in crafting an awe-inspiring, accessible and memorable experience that welcomes community to connect with the natural and cultural setting of Kalgulup Regional Park. The design sits lightly on the land, restoring the trail network through sensitive planning and micro-impact construction. The design safeguards the site’s natural character, minimises ecological disturbance and builds in resilience to bushfire and coastal conditions. The jury commends the design team’s considered application of accessibility standards to achieve genuine inclusivity that skilfully “challenges the norm.” This carefully resolved and technically accomplished…

Food / Landscapes Australia Joshua Zeunert, UNSW Country Various, including Cammeraygal, Bedegal and Kaurna Location New South Wales Client Joshua Zeunert Jury comment This is a dedicated research endeavour – almost superhuman in scale and scope – that demonstrates the potential for landscape architects to examine a topic that deeply impacts everyone. The designer used mixed methods to travel to disparate remote and largely-out-of-sight corners of Australia. The project harnesses the power of drone imagery, brought together and made accessible in an interactive website that maps geographical, ethical, environmental and philosophical positions. The result is engaging, thought-provoking and ground-breaking, and leaves us with the question: what will we do with this new-found knowledge, as practitioners (and arguably stewards) of landscape in this country? Entrant Joshua Zeunert, UNSW Collaborator Abstract 8…

Nightingale Bowden Landskap and Openwork Country Kaurna Client Housing Choices and Nightingale Housing Location South Australia Jury comment This project demonstrates how making wise and careful design choices can result in the creation of a meaningful space that offers lifestyle options and fosters social interaction. The skills of the landscape architects are reflected in their ability to achieve an impressive outcome on a small budget. The project shows how embracing environmental sustainability has resulted in the creation of a design that is both affordable and able to promote positive relationships. Entrant practices Landskap and Openwork Cultural collaborators Kaurna community members Architect Breathe Builder Hindmarsh Landscaper Habitat Landscaping Services Images Duncan McKenzie Red Note Courtyard, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Bank TCL Country Turrbal and Jagera Client Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University…

Michelle Guglielmo Park GLAS Landscape Architects Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Location Brunswick, Victoria Client City of Merri-bek Jury comment This project exemplifies the prioritisation of environmental and social sustainability in landscape architecture projects, no matter the size. While a relatively small space, the careful use of salvaged and local materials, integrated WSUD, maximised soil volumes, and species selections, enhance the environmental resilience of the place. Embedded artworks and space for community video projections make this a place for social gathering and celebration of local artists. The design team has thoughtfully crafted a place of vegetated refuge for the community in a highly urbanised neighbourhood. Entrant practice GLAS Landscape Architects Construction Marcus Constructions Civil engineering OPS Engineers Lighting design Arup Images Nicko Keenan (top) and Merri-bek Council (bottom) Breakout Creek/Purruna Pari –…