Resene NZILA Pride of Place Landscape Architecture

SUPREME WINNERS

George Malcolm Award

Te Kopahou Reserve - Entrance to Wellington South Coast
Wellington City Council - Charles Gordon
Wellington City Council - Parks and Recreation

The Te Kopahou Reserve - Entrance to Wellington South Coast project undertaken by the Wellington City Council successfully demonstrates a sensitive and balanced response to an old resource site (quarry) that is now highly valued for its natural setting. This landscape value was undeniably recognized and reflected through the many submissions received by the public and associated stakeholders. The project succeeds by paying heed to its new purpose, a gateway to the picturesque natural Wellington South Coast, more so by subtly embracing the memory of an old quarry site.

The project background commenced with the Owhiro Bay Quarry being purchased by the Wellington City Council in 2000. Following purchase the Council immediately implemented a Quarry Closure Management Plan that included the initial stages of quarry restoration consisting largely of earthworks, endemic topsoil and vegetation establishment.

Public and stakeholder engagement commenced in 2005, which included 500 submissions. The consultation outcome provided clear direction that the site should now act primarily as an entrance, a gateway to Wellington's 'wild' and 'picturesque' South Coast, thus negotiating a balance between environmental protection and public recreation. From stakeholder and public direction the somewhat simple brief included providing public amenity suitable for a valued natural area gateway. This comprised of interpretation, shelters, public conveniences, parking and separated pedestrian areas that were all to be nestled into a rehabilitated Wellington South Coast landscape setting.

The complexity of the post industrial site, the tough coastland environment and the requirement to provide adequate car parking and pedestrian amenity offered numerous opportunities to demonstrate various landscape rehabilitation methods. Simple, environmentally sensitive techniques were used throughout the project including water sensitive design, re-use of quarry building materials, eco-sourced endemic planting and re-establishment of local shell rich rock mulch. The use of an endemic material palette afforded much of the projects unique environmental and aesthetic response, making it suitable to its contemporary Wellington South Coast 'gateway' identity.

Landscape memory is most evident through the sensitive regeneration of the natural condition subtly contrasted with an assortment of quarry materials, including the restrained outline of the old quarry building footprint.

In conclusion, the Te Kopahou Reserve project has clarity of purpose. It does not shy away from clearly representing a history of conflicting use. The project cleverly edits and weaves the fabric of a past landscape to reveal the sites underlying ecology, the old quarry and present day purpose. Past quarry relics are heightened as they selectively appear through the rehabilitated endemic landscape, an approach that has appeased stakeholder and community expectations. The Te Kopahou Reserve is a truthful representation of a modified landscape, a duality of past and present landscape values, now a landscape memory that informs and enriches the experience of users who visit the Wellington's 'wild' and often harsh South Coast.

 

Charlie Challenger Award

Auckland Transport: City East West Transport Study
Stuart Houghton (Boffa Miskell)
Auckland Transport

The City East West Transport Study does more than just set a path for the future development of Auckland's CBD East West movement network, it firmly sets the path for the role of landscape architecture in urban transportation planning. This collaborative study between the Boffa Miskell and Aurecon team demonstrates the strength of collaboration between transportation planning and that of landscape architecture. The end result is a balanced transport infrastructure plan that enhances not only the multi-modal  transportation network but the urban context and public realm. The document's planning outcomes are underpinned with strong technical knowledge and rigorous analysis that is graphically represented within the document.

The planning process included a collaborative consultation with a large number of stakeholders and interest groups who had diverse views. This process not only managed navigated consultation but produced clear and compelling communication document and visualisations that give a clear understanding of what the likely outcomes should be based on the proposed transport changes. These graphics and visualisations make the consultation process assessable for a large portion of the public and the final document user friendly.        

The strength of the process, planning outcomes and final document is in its holistic and robust understanding of public realm, urban context and transportation network that will set the course of urban development within the Auckland CBD for the next decade.  

The judges felt that "This project forges new roles for landscape architecture in informing and guiding key direction setting for transportation infrastructure" and that "The spatial planning and visualizations have been extremely effective in communicating how the recommendations will be translated on the ground"

 

Community Design

Re:START Cashel Mall
Rough and Milne Landscape Architects
Re:START the Heart Trust

The ground was still moving and nerves continued to be frayed when the Re-Start Cashel Mall was promoted as an initial step in bring life and commerce back into the Christchurch CBD after the disastrous February 2011 'aftershock' that had brought death and destruction to the CBD and the Cashel Mall in particular.  Fortuitously some bones of Cashel Mall and from this, the Re-Start the HEART project was conceived.  There was a large cast of willing participants keen to be involved in bringing the concept of 60 or so brightly painted shipping containers to life as two temporary shopping precincts on either side of the Mall. Rough and Milne Landscape Architects donated their considerable landscape design, contract management and implementation skills and services, along with their man and woman power, to create and construct the temporary public landscape between the newly erected 'container mall'. The input from Rough and Milnes that made this development such a success was donate by them at a time when they themselves were under post-earthquake pressure after losing their office building making the time donated to the city an even more significant gift.   

 

Outstanding Design: Cost to build under $200K

Navy Museum Activity Zone
Reset Urban Design
Auckland Council

A playful, functional and dynamic landscape on the edge of the Waitemata Harbour elegantly links the water and the Navy Museum; the site is one of those small jewels that frequent Auckland's landscape sequestered in the lee of North Head.

Reset Urban Design marshalled an array of naval memorabilia and motif that has inspired and defined spaces that are part playground, part courtyard and part pier. These three elements come together as one in a design and play space that has a unique and legible identity has been created against this historical maritime gem.  What was a small, simple space between harbour and 'boat shed' is now a vibrant link between Devonport and its naval history.

  

Outstanding Design: Cost to build between $200K and $500K

Pipitea Marae Atea
Moorhead and Newdick Landscape Architects
Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust

Pipitea Marae's refurbished landscape is the result of a close working relationship between iwi and landscape architects. It demonstrates how the discipline can contribute to enhancing cultural connections to landscapes in urban environments. Particular strengths of the project are the careful attention to detail given the tight budget and time frame, and a particularly well-considered planting strategy.  Ponga embankments and flourishing perimeter planting create a lively and diverse setting for community activities on this significant urban marae.

 

Outstanding Design: Cost to build between $500K and $2M

Te Kopahou Reserve - Entrance to Wellington South Coast
Wellington City Council - Charles Gordon
Wellington City Council - Parks and Recreation

Landscape memory is most evident in the carefully selected use of regenerating the natural condition subtly contrasted with an assortment of quarry materiality, including the restrained outline of the old quarry building footprint. Simple, environmentally sensitive techniques are used throughout the project including the construction of road and pedestrian amenities to provide an overall national park aesthetic, suitable to its contemporary Wellington South Coast 'gateway' landscape function. The highly valued site was undeniably made known and reflected through the many submissions received by the public.

The project succeeds by paying heed to its new purpose, a gateway to the picturesque natural Wellington South Coast, more so by subtly conceding to the memory of an old quarry site.

 

Outstanding Design: Cost to build over $2M

Beachlands Maraetai Coastal Walkway
Isthmus & Auckland Council
Auckland Council

More than a lineal intervention the Beachlands-Maraetai Coastal Walkway demonstrates a project with conceptual breadth delivered through a subtlelty of detail. With close to 9 years of staged development the project has maintained its initial design intent and integrity, a 6km narrative that draws from the the past while weaving through the contemporary community uses and values.

The project not only successfully negates sensitive coastal landscapes however the eccentricities of two unique communities. The physical outcome is manifested through a restrained use of materials, subtle interventions that reflect the farming, maritime, and natural history of the area. For example artistic nodal tidal markers provide opportunity for education and reflection.

The use of timber walkways, viewing nodes, robust furniture and endemic beach grasses often provide an edge between the coastal landscape and the rural or urban condition.

The Beachland-Maraetai Coastal Walkway represents a project that has successfully connected Auckland's urban edge with its green edge, in this case its coastal edge. More than a passive reconnection the project affords a depth of resolve, a pathway to reflect upon landscapes history, contemporary identity and coastal processes.

 

Sustainability

La Rosa Reserve Stream Daylighting
Mark Lewis (Boffa Miskell)
Auckland Council

The La Rosa Reserve Stream Daylighting project by Boffa Miskell embodies what sustainability is by definition. It is a project that has enhanced ecological, cultural and community values while minimizing the project implementation impacts through adaptive reuse and the management of embodied energy. However this project is more than just a successful stream day lighting project, it goes beyond re-engaging the community and enhancing ecological values.

The projects biggest success is in the development of a knowledge base in stream ecology and development economics which provides the resources for similar projects to follow suit. La Rosa Stream is a catalysis for positive change that demonstrates how urban water projects should perform to a standard not yet seen in New Zealand.

 

Visionary Landscape

Hobson Bay: Adding Heart to the Bay
Reset Urban Design
Orakei Local Board

'Adding Heart to the Bay' shows a bold desire for betterment of the city and aims to reclaim the landscape that drew our ancestors here. It looks afresh at Hobson Bay with public access at its heart, reinstating a physical relationship with the water that has been degraded for generations.

The judges were captivated by questioning nature of this scheme; not merely responding to a brief 'Adding Heart to the Bay' illustrates how a simple vision can capture the imagination. It shows us a blend of urban infrastructure with natural processes and the environment that heals past scars and creates a joyful place that we may truly want to spend time in rather than merely pass though. Aspirations of how we would want to live are so often overtaken by the practicalities of life; 'Adding Heart to the Bay' has shown us what we're missing out on.

 

Landscape Planning and Environmental Studies

Auckland Transport: City East West Transport Study
Stuart Houghton (Boffa Miskell)
Auckland Transport

Landscape Architecture is a profession well placed to take on the challenges of current global and local issues and to position ourselves as the most appropriate discipline to explore, influence and guide the shaping of our world. This project exemplifies this potential by highlighting and advocating for successful contemporary city planning that will stretch the public's traditional understanding of Landscape Architecture. 

The project explores innovative approaches to landscape planning in order to achieve tangible and well considered outcomes for city infrastructure design and uses visual communication tools to raise the bar on the accessibility of a complex issue.  An excellent piece of work that showcases the importance of an holistic approach to understanding the public realm in designing for transport routes.

 

Landscape Publication

The Transport Agency Urban Design and Landscape Guidelines
NZ Transport Agency, Boffa Miskell, Isthmus
New Zealand Transport Agency

The Transport Agency Urban Design and Landscape Guidelines are two visually engaging documents, which focus on ensuring appropriate environmental and landscape outcomes are achieved around state highways. They are comprehensive in nature and work to clearly articulate the Transport Agency's commitment to the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol and, subsequently, to broader landscape and environmental expectations and outcomes. These documents demonstrate evolving commitment to our urban environments and landscape as important components of their projects. Together, the documents enable best practice Landscape Architecture and Urban Design to be accessible to all and therefore have a far greater role in the structure and design of our infrastructure, ensuring positive change in the way future highway projects are envisioned.

 

Student

Living with Uncertainty: A design investigation into adaptive living in the Residential Red Zone
Nicki Copley
Lincoln University

This submission demonstrates the visionary brilliance of students in landscape architecture. Showcasing the critical learning and development stages of applying landscape architectural principles through original concepts that lead into successful design outcomes. The design process has had thorough investigation and demonstrates clear understanding of resilience with regards to flood patterns. An excellent illustration of a partnership connecting topographical landscapes with the community via social capital that will enrich the communities flexibility in time of need. A truly thought provoking project that continues to expand our relationship with the landscape.

 

Te Karanga O Te Tui

Rae Ki Te Rae
Prof. Penny Allan and Dr. Huhana Smith

In its inaugural year, 'Te Karanga o te Tui' - the Call of the Tui award - seeks to acknowledge those bodies of work that don't just reflect Te Ao Maori back to the world, but engage and embrace it as essential to its core. More so; it aims to promote an evolution of landscape architecture in Aotearoa, crafted with this foundation at the forefront - driving aspirations and pushing debate, all the while keeping its 'roots' firmly in the ground.

This years winning entry brings these elements together, and pushes forward a path to take its message to new and broader audiences. With a rich integration of cultural values rather than motif - the work is compelling, yet humble - it is deeply embedded and rich - it is specific and engaged, yet accessible to all.

The winner of Te Karanga o te Tui for 2015 is:  Rae ki te Rae - Bicultural Research Design Project - Penny Allan and Dr Huhana Smith.- the judges noted: "A beautifully crafted and important research project, leading Landscape Architecture at the forefront of bi-cultural design. Its message while robust, can transcend cultural boundaries, to be read and understood by all.'

 

Resene People's Choice Award

IFLA Exhibition Park, 2013 World Landscape Art Exposition, Jinzhou, China
Dave Charnley, Prorata Landscape Architecture
Jinzhou Municipal Peoples Government & Liaoning Provincial Government

This project was described as 'an amazing international achievement with a strongly articulated and cleverly designed landscape'. It was the standout favorite in the public voting, and is an outstanding project well worthy of its win in the inaugural People's Choice Award in 2015.