Heavenly gardens: the Australian garden at Cranbourne was a winner at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects' awards.
Photo: Peter Hyatt
Denise Gadd
November 17, 2007
A JOURNEY through Australia's diverse flora and a high-tech waterhole for hippos have won major prizes in the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects' awards.
The first stage of the Australian garden at Cranbourne, an adjunct to Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, has won the Victorian award for landscape architecture.
The 11-hectare garden, the work of landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and designer Paul Thompson, opened in May last year and is a treasury of local and indigenous plants. A highlight is the sand garden, an expanse of red sand contrasting dramatically with grey foliage.
For gardens director Philip Moors, the most rewarding factor has been creating a new public garden in Victoria. The last time that happened was in 1873 under the stewardship of Sir William Guilfoyle, the second director of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Guilfoyle would find Cranbourne's contemporary design a challenge, Dr Moors said, but he believed he would see the skill and creativity in its 21st century landscape. The judges agreed, highlighting the "powerful design strategies that amplify the quintessential nature of Australian landscapes".
The garden also won an excellence award in the Design in Landscape Architecture category. A section of the garden designed by Site Office, incorporating clusters of native cultivars defined by sand-filled geotextiles, was awarded a Merit in Design award.
Excellence in Land Management went to the Kubu River hippopotamus exhibit at the Werribee Open Range Zoo, designed by Urban Initiatives. The judges praised the project for the way it cares for its "constituents", the Kubu River hippos, but also engages with visitors.
A commendation has gone to Land Design Partnership for the 21st century garden at the Geelong Botanic Gardens. Judges said the design linked the historic garden with the nearby waterfront using a leaf motif and indigenous plantings.
Other winners at last night's presentation included Rush Wright Associates for the Shrine of Remembrance landscape management plan and Maddern Square in Footscray.
A JOURNEY through Australia's diverse flora and a high-tech waterhole for hippos have won major prizes in the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects' awards.
The first stage of the Australian garden at Cranbourne, an adjunct to Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, has won the Victorian award for landscape architecture.
The 11-hectare garden, the work of landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and designer Paul Thompson, opened in May last year and is a treasury of local and indigenous plants. A highlight is the sand garden, an expanse of red sand contrasting dramatically with grey foliage.
For gardens director Philip Moors, the most rewarding factor has been creating a new public garden in Victoria. The last time that happened was in 1873 under the stewardship of Sir William Guilfoyle, the second director of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Guilfoyle would find Cranbourne's contemporary design a challenge, Dr Moors said, but he believed he would see the skill and creativity in its 21st century landscape. The judges agreed, highlighting the "powerful design strategies that amplify the quintessential nature of Australian landscapes".
The garden also won an excellence award in the Design in Landscape Architecture category. A section of the garden designed by Site Office, incorporating clusters of native cultivars defined by sand-filled geotextiles, was awarded a Merit in Design award.
Excellence in Land Management went to the Kubu River hippopotamus exhibit at the Werribee Open Range Zoo, designed by Urban Initiatives. The judges praised the project for the way it cares for its "constituents", the Kubu River hippos, but also engages with visitors.
A commendation has gone to Land Design Partnership for the 21st century garden at the Geelong Botanic Gardens. Judges said the design linked the historic garden with the nearby waterfront using a leaf motif and indigenous plantings.
Other winners at last night's presentation included Rush Wright Associates for the Shrine of Remembrance landscape management plan and Maddern Square in Footscray.
