The Small Creek naturalisation is one of Australia’s most significant waterway restoration projects.

Project partners Landscapology and Bligh Tanner kicked off the project with Design Your Creek Week, working on site and learning from the local community.

Following this rich community engagement process, the vision has become a reality. Stages 1 and 2 works have recreated 1,180 metres of healthy functioning waterway within a public parkland setting, delivering multiple benefits to the community and the environment.

Through a deliberately integrated approach, the design has responded in equal parts to biodiversity, flooding and resilience, drainage, health and safety, and maintenance. Small Creek is now as notable for its ecological restoration outcomes as for its stormwater management and invigoration of an undervalued drainage corridor.

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Nation: Yuggera

Awards:

• AILA Queensland Awards, Award of Excellence in Land Management, 2020.

• Stormwater Queensland Awards, Excellence in Integrated Stormwater Design, 2019.

• Minister’s Award for Urban Design, Commendation, Excellence in Urban Design, 2018.

• River Basin Management Society Awards, Finalist in Involving Community in Waterway Management, 2017.

• AILA National Awards, Landscape Architecture Award in Land Management, 2017.

• Stormwater Queensland Award for Excellence in Strategic or Master Planning, 2017.

• Healthy Land and Water Awards, Finalist in Government Stewardship, 2017.

• AILA Queensland Awards, Award of Excellence in Land Management, 2017.

Collaboration:

Civil and Environmental Engineering: Bligh Tanner
Fluvial Geomorphology: Streamology
Graphic Design: Nicole Phillips
Construction Stage 1: Australian Wetlands
Construction Stage 2: TLCC

This project involved gardens, outdoor living spaces and carport upgrade for a recently renovated inner-Brisbane house. The garden is based around a circular lawn raised above the rocky site. It is bordered by a ‘garland’ of culinary herbs, whilst the main pathway passes through scented and flowering plants, bringing delight to an everyday journey.

A formerly unloved and unused corner of the garden now beckons, with soft decomposed granite and tumbled sandstone underfoot, billowing foliage, and a gabion screen filled with broken pavers reclaimed from under the house. The plunge pool, a tiled, prefabricated water tank, is surrounded by a planted ha-ha which acts as the pool fence.

Under the existing deck, new ceiling panels are perforated in a pattern inspired by old glass in the house, and backlit at night.

Awards:

The Queensland Award for Residential Designed Landscapes, AILA Queensland Awards, 2015.

Collaboration:

Construction: RAM Constructions Queensland

Images: Christopher Frederick Jones

The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden
was established in 1998 with a vision to be a world-class regional botanic garden, with a unique character based on the natural characteristics of the Sunshine Coast area.

After 20 years of establishment and success, Sunshine Coast Regional Council commissioned an update to the original garden master plan. Landscapology partnered with Urban Enquiry, and worked with a diverse group of consultants and stakeholders to deliver the update.

The updated master plan advances the ideas and achievements of the 1998 plan and sets in place a refreshed framework to guide the future evolution of the garden.

It defines strategies that will enable the garden to evolve and
strengthen, maintaining and advancing its relevance as:
- An ecological resource and reserve
- An environmental educator
- A botanic collection
- An important green amenity for a growing community.

The ‘refreshed’ master plan will guide the next 20 years of the
gardens growth, and is a resource to guide planning, align thinking, investment and action to deliver the vision for the botanic garden of the Sunshine Coast.

Collaboration:

Client: Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Urban Design: Urban Enquiry
Transport and Traffic: Cambray Consulting
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Alternative Energy: Bligh Tanner
Engagement and Communication: Three Plus
Economics: Pracsys
Graphic Design: Nicole Phillips

Located in the partly subterranean basement of heritage-listed Craigston, Studio 217 is a collaboration between Amalie Wright and Richard Buchanan that repurposes a tiny space off the main carpark into a multi-purpose studio.

Dark, cave-like materials and finishes, and a partly lowered ceiling reinforce the compressed location. The underlying layered, tilting geology, is expressed using strong horizontal lines interrupted by sloping planes. Dark formply was used extensively, with wrapping lines of recycled timbers boards. Lighting levels are deliberately low, and concealed lamps ‘leak’ into the space through cracks.

Numerous functional requirements were accommodated, including overnight guest accommodation, a piano, library, wine cellar, lino printing facilities, and drawing board and design studio for two. A raised platform enables a desk at window sill height; the space below houses a slide-out bench seat and bed. The piano is enclosed within joinery capped with a perched seating platform, and sliding cabinets contain collections and conceal artworks behind.

MDF, two-pack and volatile finishes were deliberately avoided. Brick walls were soda blasted clean, and the exposed concrete floor finished with tinted penetrating oil. Plywood shelves and recycled timber boards are left unfinished. The entry courtyard reclaims pavers, stone slabs and broken bricks from an apartment renovation as steps, steppers and mulch.

Collaboration:

Construction: Rob and Chris Hogerheyde, RAM Constructions Queensland.

Images: Christopher Frederick Jones.

Our clients already had a great garden: cracking views, some big existing trees, and abundant birdlife. With no fence between themselves and a friendly neighbour, both households enjoyed the sense of space this afforded their otherwise narrow lots.

Located on a steeply sloping block, the upper level of the house looked into the tree canopy, but felt removed from the garden. A cubby house right at the bottom of the yard had been a drawcard when their children were younger, this project was aimed at better connecting the house and garden now, and providing a reason to venture outdoors.

We designed a meandering path to navigate the level changes, and create a journey past all the existing garden highlights. A new sheltered seating nook provided a destination, a place to pause and look back and enjoy the garden from a different perspective.

Collaboration:

Landscape construction: Sanctuary Landscapes.

This project will involved intimate courtyards, new entry garden and a traditional back yard space associated with extensive renovations to an inner-city Queenslander.

Collaboration:

Architecture: Bligh Graham.
Landscape Construction: Bragg About It Landscapes.

For two years from mid-2018, Amalie worked full-time on the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) project.

Based at Monash University in Melbourne, RISE is an action-research program working at the intersections of health, environment, and water and sanitation.

The program is trialling a new water sensitive approach to water and sanitation management in 24 informal settlements across Makassar, Indonesia and Suva, Fiji.

Working with communities, governments, local leaders and partner institutions, RISE is co-designing location-specific solutions that integrate green infrastructure, such as constructed wetlands, to strengthen the whole-of-life water and sanitation cycle.

For most of her time with the project, Amalie was the focal point between Melbourne and Suva for the forward-planning of the green infrastructure interventions. This included liaising with in-country consultants and approving agencies, and supporting the local team with prototyping, plant propagation, green infrastructure training, and planning for community co-design activities.

In Makassar Amalie has also been involved developing site servicing options for all 12 sites, participation in co-design activities, and assisting with urban design and public realm integration during detailed design and documentation.

RISE brings together people from diverse backgrounds and experience from 25 Partner Organisations, including: Monash University, Stanford University, Emory University, Cambridge University, Wellcome Trust, Fiji National University, and UNHAS.

Amalie was fortunate to spend time with RISE colleagues specialising in public health, infectious disease, microbiology, ecology, environmental science, community development, and engagement, as well as engineering and design. She was warmly welcomed in Makassar and Suva, most particularly by the residents of the settlements, whose patience and generosity is truly remarkable.

More information is available on the RISE website.

Jagera Land

Landscapology is providing landscape architectural input for
this project to recover the health of the main lake at the University
of Queensland, a 70-year old constructed lake suffering from
frequent blue-green algal blooms and poor water quality.

The lake is one of the largest pieces of the St Lucia campus
landscape, holding significant recreational and amenity value for the UQ and wider community.

During the first stage of construction, the lake was dewatered, and more than 250 turtles and 600 native fish, including a rare Queensland Lung Fish (Neoceratodus forsteri) were relocated.

The project will also see the following implemented to improve water quality and habitat:

• stabilisation and capping of lake bed sediments;

• reduction in water depth;

• introduction of wetlands at the northern and southern ends of the lake, connected by a thin band of wetland to the western edge, to provide in-lake water treatment;

• diverse habitat including woody debris and turtle ramps; and

• over 70,000 new plants.

Landscapology’s role within a multidisciplinary team led by E2
Designlab is ensuring visual amenity, landscape values, access
and movement, opportunities for engagement and delight are
retained and strengthened alongside the scientific and ecological
renewal works.

All existing sandstone blocks forming the existing lake edge have been retained on site and integrated into the design to form:

• informal seating areas that curve and flow to reference to stream that was originally dammed to create the lake;

• fauna basking clusters, rock ramps and varied aquatic habitat;

• edging to expanded popular lawn areas; and

• traces of the previous lake edge within new planting beds.

Construction is well advanced, and due for completion later in 2023.

More information is available at the University’s project webpage.

Collaboration

Lead Consultant/Civil Engineering/Ecology: E2 Designlab

Head Contractor: Golding

Landscape Contractor: Landscape Solutions

Irrigation/Pumping: Peel Consultants

Lighting: Webb

An generous but underutilised concrete terrace was reconfigured with an inviting timber sitting and dining area, pergola and lush subtropical planting. After initially setting out to just refresh the garden, our clients subsequently embarked on a house renovation too. Some of our design decisions helped inform the architecture, and vice versa.

Collaboration:

Construction: Rycon Construction.

Architecture: Skyring Architects.

In 1898 a condensed milk factory was established on Cressbrook Creek, northwest of Brisbane. The town that grew around the factory was eventually connected by rail to Ipswich, and renamed Toogoolawah. In 1907 the factory was bought by Nestle Anglo-Swiss, expanding to an enterprise employing 150 staff at its peak.

The factory closed in 1930 and remained vacant until 1951, when a fire destroyed all but the packing shed. In recent years the local council secured funding to stabilise the building and convert it into an art gallery and community venue.

Landscapology was engaged to provide master planning advice and design input. Working with PHAB Architects we located the coach driveway and parking required by council, and designed a strategy for access and circulation.

An existing Silky Oak tree was retained, and planting with a weeping habit and white flowers was specified to reference condensed milk flowing over the remnant structures.

The alignment of the former railway siding was also planted with grasses. Although we were a bit disappointed that our planting design wasn’t implemented, it’s been great to see PHAB’s amazing work receive accolades, and to see how warmly the community has embraced the new gallery.

Collaboration:

Architect: PHAB

Heritage: Converge Heritage & Community

Client: Somerset Regional Council

Landscapology led a consultancy team of town planners, social planners and engineers to deliver this project for the Water by Design programme at Healthy Waterways.

Living Waterways is a best practice environmental management approach that assists practitioners and government to deliver enduring and affordable outdoor spaces which engage the surrounding communities.

The Living Waterways approach has been developed to support implementation of water sensitive urban design by encouraging and incentivising design solutions that embody the natural, historical and cultural elements of a site. They promote interaction with water to inspire, promote adventure and discovery, and to educate visitors about the delicacy of our ecosystems.

The Living Waterways approach is site-driven and aligns traditional stormwater principles with place-making benefits based around the four key themes:

1. Living Water
2. Living Places
3. Living Communities
4. Living Local Economies.

A scoring system encourages innovation and improved design outcomes, while being flexible enough to cater for a variety of development types within the community.

The project was a finalist in the 2014 Premier's Sustainability Awards.

We subsequently provided input into an update of the original voluntary framework, which now includes modules for resilience, catchment condition and diagnosis and treatment. A new strategic planning module provided additional benefits by allowing Councils to easily align State-mandated requirements with local waterway priorities.

More information is available on the Healthy Land and Water website. 

It is a fact of life that our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses. Gardens are no different.

The new owners of this house quickly discovered that the bamboo provided great screening but required energetic maintenance, and some of the garden spaces, whilst large, were not particularly welcoming or usable. 

Our concept use the existing pool and established trees to provide the structure for three distinctly different garden spaces which reflect the day-to-day life of the residents.

By design, the circular lawn in the shady backyard is set to become the family dog’s favourite hang out - and we hope her Mum and Dad will love it too!

Collaboration:

Construction: Sanctuary Landscapes

Landscapology was engaged as the landscape architect for this project, which saw the heritage listed Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel converted into a community building with upper-floor office space.

The imposing front elevation on Bay Terrace is historically important, so our planting design was respectful of the architecture, using species seen in older Brisbane gardens and landscapes.

An existing poinciana at the back of the building will form the focus for a quiet garden that can also be used by the neighbouring school as an outdoor chapel.

Collaboration:

Client: Brisbane Catholic Education.
Architecture: Guymer Bailey.
Heritage: Australian Heritage Specialists.

This tiny courtyard has been reconfigured to accommodate a pizza oven for a passionate baker. The oven is set within a garden of coastal plants and culinary herbs, with a feature pot containing specimen grain species.

Our clients briefed us to create an inviting garden where it felt that the inside and outside of the house were interacting. Amongst their requirements:

• a main outdoor living space that could accommodate outdoor dining and entertaining;

• a firepit to gather around;

• screening and softening of the site boundaries; and

• a loose, casual feel to the planting, with bird-attracting species, edibles integrated with the ornamental planting, and species that reflected seasonal change.

During the research phase we discovered an old newspaper article who's author had made the long trek from the city to our suburb (about a fifteen minute drive these days!), and urged readers to explore the "wealth of natural beauty" on offer.

When combined with the site qualities and our brief, this all combined to inspire our initial concept. The concept was refined and developed with input from our clients - you can read about this process in more detail on our blog.

Collaboration:

Architecture: Husband Architects

Builder: RAM Constructions (Qld)

This heritage listed Bayside house was originally built as a seaside getaway for a Brisbane councillor, taking advantage of the new train line to the Bay. The garden concept suggested using materials and planting to reference the coastal location, providing a relaxed family garden that will accommodate backyard cricket, chooks, a productive garden and more.

Amalie teamed with the extremely talented typographer and graphic designer Nicole Phillips to respond to Gold Coast City Council’s open call for artwork submissions for a new community centre in Upper Coomera.

We were thrilled to be shortlisted to the final three, and were invited to present to the selection committee.

Our concept was inspired by some of the future uses of the centre (including waves in a pool, and pages in a library book), as well as tickets for a theme park (the Coast’s ‘Big 3’ are close by), and the roofscape of neighbouring houses.

Whilst we didn’t make it past the shortlist we really enjoyed the opportunity to work together, and to experiment in a medium outside our day-to-day practices.

In 2013 the Office for Design and Architecture South Australia (ODASA) led an open ideas competition and community engagement process to explore possibilities for the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site.

The 5.3 hectare site is bordered by the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and North Terrace, and contains a number of significant historic buildings.

The ideas competition attracted 126 submissions.

Our scheme was one of 15 projects to be placed on the Long List, as judged by local design students.

In late 2015 Sunshine Coast Council announced a design competition seeking ideas for its planned new public toilets in Isaac Moore Park, just outside Kenilworth.

The competition was intended to flush out an 'iconic facility' that would become a landmark and bring visitors to Kenilworth.

The proposed site is a beautiful stretch of north-facing land beside the Mary River, with large open lawns bordered by mixed tree species.

The site experiences flooding, and one of Council's functional requirements is that the dunny building remain safe and protected during floods.

The competition brief suggested the dunny building would have to be raised some 4 metres above ground to meet this requirement.

This would require a very long ramp to provide access for all, and initially we liked the idea of exploring this long gentle journey up to the dunny.

Eventually we decided that there had to be another way to keep the building safe in a flood, without having to create a long, uphill journey.

The answer: make the building float.

Our scheme, The Lost Boat, is a facility that can be easily accessed, at-grade, for the majority of its operational life.

Designed on houseboat principles, it is intended to rise in conjunction with flood inundation, ensuring the building and septic tank remain flood immune.

The access ramp reaches a predetermined maximum extension and slope before automatically disconnecting from the structure. A flexible pipe connecting to the septic treatment system is intended to uncoil to a predetermined length during minor flooding, with a shut-off valve closing after a set limit before the pipe disconnects.

Were we shortlisted - no!

Would we do it differently today - yes!

Do we use each day and each project as an opportunity to learn - YES!

What's It All About?

Have you ever considered taking your afternoon walk next to a sewage treatment plant?

How about meeting friends to walk your dogs at an old cemetery?

More than half the world's population now lives in cities. As this number rises, we will continue to need access to high quality parks and people places.  With land in our cities under increasing pressure, where will our future city parks come from?

Amalie Wright's new book Future Park: imagining tomorrow's urban parks shows how cities, councils and communities have responded to the challenge, using innovative thinking about what parks can be.

Purchasing

Order online direct from CSIRO Publishing and have Future Park shipped straight to your door.

Better yet, support your local bricks-and-mortar bookstore.

Reviews & Articles

June 2014: Future Park reviewed by Parks & Leisure Australia (Queensland).

March 2014: Article about future urban parks featured on the ABC's Environment Page.

December 2013: Future Park reviewed in the American Society of Landscape Architects journal.

October 2013: Article for Queensland State Library's Design Online.

October 2013: Interview with Michele Sabto in ECOS Magazine.

September 2013: Interview with the Mackay Daily Mercury.

Landscapology is one of five artists and designers shortlisted for this project, following an open Expression of Interest that attracted over 70 submissions.

The memorial will be located in Green Park, in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, opposite St Vincent’s Hospital, the pioneering centre for HIV/AIDS treatment, patient care and ongoing research.

Landscapology’s submission was inspired by the closing lines from Marie Howe’s poem What the Living Do, dedicated to her younger brother who died from AIDS.

The closing line reads: “I am living. I remember you.”

The proposed memorial takes the form of a garden, with lush vegetation and year-round flowering.

The outcome of the shortlisting process is expected to be announced in early 2021.

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Nation: The Gadigal of the Eora Nation.