Public spaces possess the ability to influence their surrounding streetscapes.

While the designs for these developments must be eye-catching, intriguing, and inspiring, they must also meet some non-negotiables, such as accessibility, comfort, and community centricity. Another critical non-negotiable is sustainable design, which sets a benchmark and inspires other structures, regardless of whether they are used for public or private purposes.

The Landscape & Urban category is a bespoke category designed for landscape architects and urbanists. To be eligible, architects must submit a design for a building or amenity that primarily serves, or is used by, the public, while adhering to and promoting the concepts of sustainability, renewability, and regenerative design.

Landscape & Urban projects must exhibit sustainable functionality and performance while fulfilling the needs of their inhabitants. They must also demonstrate a high level of research and originality, showcasing innovative designs that chart a new course for sustainability in public structures, and by extension, our future cities.

In 2022, the first winner of the Landscape & Urban category was Riverside Green, designed by Hassell in Brisbane. This project established a new "green heart" for Brisbane's South Bank Parklands, replacing a former restaurant damaged by floods in 2011.

By favouring public green spaces over private, enclosed areas like restaurants, the project created an open and accessible space for recreation. The resilience of the pavilion and the landscape against the 2022 river flood was due to multiple factors, such as the open nature of the landscape and the pavilion's durable, hard-wearing componentry and materials.

In 2023, Holcim continued its partnership with the Landscape & Urban category. The company aims to lead the way in developing construction products with fewer carbon emissions to reduce emissions by significant margins in the coming years.

The winner of the Landscape & Urban category in 2023 will be announced at the Sustainability Awards Gala in November. To participate in this prestigious event and put yourself in the running, kindly submit your entries here.