AILA NSW Landscape Architecture Awards 2019 winners

The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) NSW Landscape Architecture Awards 2019 have today been announced. Over 45 projects were entered in the NSW awards, with winners crowned across categories including civic landscape, community contribution, cultural heritage, gardens, parks and open spaces as well as urban design and infrastructure.

 “The calibre of the built landscape architecture projects this year was very high – we saw some exceptional public space design, not to mention some remarkably resourceful playgrounds and other small projects that delivered incredible value with limited means,” says Maitiú Ward, AILA NSW Vice Jury Chair.

“What was especially notable this year, though, was the quantum of work that brought design leadership to bear at a strategic level, at a wide range of scales," Ward continues. "This might surprise those who associate the profession exclusively with the creation of parks and gardens, as crucially important to our communities as those places are.”

“From the design of freeway systems to 15 year plans for inner urban parklands systems, vast heritage landscape studies to planning guides for playgrounds, it was impressive to see just how widely landscape architects are now applying their expertise and disciplinary knowledge. These strategic projects might be less immediately tangible, but in focusing their impact at a planning, policy or advocacy level, their impacts are arguably likely to be much more widely felt than those of most localised built works.” 

“The systems thinking that landscape architecture brings to the shaping and management of our environment is more urgently needed now than it’s ever been, and it’s heartening to see this is becoming more widely appreciated.”

AILA NSW Jury Chair, SueAnne Ware, reaffirmed that the standard of landscape architectural knowledge be it through practice, research, or governance sets a very high bar nationally and internationally revealing innovation, leadership and inspiration. 

“The 2019 Awards should be remembered as significant for the landscape architecture profession. As of this year, all award entries were required to acknowledge the Aboriginal Nation relevant to the project” said Ms Ware.

“The Jury commends AILA’s leadership group and all members for adopting this approach towards recognition of Australia’s landscapes and First People”. 

The NSW Landscape Architecture Awards were held at Doltone House Darling Island on Wednesday 3 July 2019. 

The projects that received an Award of Excellence and a Landscape Architecture Award at the state level proceed to the National Awards, which will take place at the AILA Festival in Melbourne in October this year