Prestigious design awards name Victoria’s best landscapes

A regional mall, residential garden, school yard and train station were all among the landscape designs honoured at this year’s Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ (AILA) Victorian Awards.

Image: Hedge House, Emergent Studios (Bush Projects) / Photography: Rory Gardiner

The awards were celebrated at a ceremony held at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom on Thursday 5 June. From a field of 70 entries, the judges selected 35 winners across 16 categories.

AILA Victoria Jury Chair Bridget Keane says the diversity of this year’s entries showcase the far-reaching power of landscape architecture. 

“From projects that bring new life into city centres to those that regenerate huge swathes of degraded landscapes, this year’s winning work showcases the incredible contribution landscape architecture makes to our communities, culture, environment and economy,” Keane says.

Ballarat’s Bridge Mall Redevelopment, by Hassell Studio, was dually honoured with an Award of Excellence for Civic Landscape and a Regional Achievement Award. The project revitalises Ballarat’s historic retail precinct into a vibrant, people-focused meeting place. 

The jury praised the designers for their ‘streets for people’ approach, and their rigorous and collaborative design process. 

“The result is a high quality, skilful and contextually responsive sequence of civic spaces and experiences that have delivered on the potential for transformational change,” according to the jury. 

“Bridge Mall elevates Ballarat’s urban experience and shows landscape architecture’s ability to catalyse social and economic benefits in regional precincts.”

Hedge House Garden, designed by Emergent Studios (Bush Projects), received an Award of Excellence. The project extends a neighbouring reserve’s bushland, incorporating regenerative biodiverse planting and habitat features that contribute to the ecological restoration of the parklands. 

The jury applauds the design’s “immersive and evolving landscape”. This garden advocates for engagement with the local environment and highlights its potential to enrich everyday life. Simultaneously considered, exuberant and wild, it is a model of domestic design, ecology and sustainability. 

Image: Central Park All-Abilities Playground (SBLA Studio) / Photography: Pier Carthew

“This project will help inform future approaches to our suburban gardens and landscapes.”

Meanwhile, Stone Hill Gully and Escarpment Regeneration by Thomson Hay Landscape Architects received a Landscape Management Award of Excellence for its transformation of what was once a degraded landscape. 

The project also took home an Infrastructure Landscape Architecture Award. In a touching tribute to the designers, the jury said that the result showed that the country can be revived with will, skill and ongoing commitment. “Care is forever.”

Congratulations are also in order for the Central Park All-Abilities Playground, by SBLA Studio with City of Stonnington. Honoured with an Award of Excellence in the ‘play spaces’ category, the jury commended the designers for achieving a sense of wonder and discovery. 

“This delightful small playspace offers a welcome contrast to the oft-heavily constructed playgrounds seen in our urban parks,” says the jury. 

“The design feels more like a whimsical and interactive garden plucked from the imagination of a child and brought to life! It delivers a tapestry of tactile experiences and learning opportunities.”

All winners of an AILA VIC Award will now proceed to the National Landscape Architecture Awards, to be announced in October in Hobart/Nipaluna. 

AILA is the peak body for landscape architecture in Australia, championing quality design for public open spaces, stronger communities, and greater environmental stewardship.

Image: Bridge Mall Redevelopment, Hassell Studio / Tom Rowe