FOREWORD BY PROFESSOR MARIA IGNATIEVA

2022 is the jubilee year for the Landscape Architecture Programme at UWA. Thirty years ago, landscape architecture had been established in the School of Design. This is the only accredited program by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) in Western Australia.

Landscape Architecture is based on three ‘pillars’ - design, planning, and management, and works with natural and built landscapes to improve the quality and our experience of the environment and community. In a collaborative environment and by using real-world scenarios of varying scales, landscape architecture students gain the knowledge, critical thinking, and skills to respond to, complex issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, urban ecology, ecological sustainability, quality and health of landscapes, heritage conservation and restoration and water sensitive design by applying systems thinking and creative practice to develop longterm, multi-scale solutions.

Landscape Architecture is primarily a design discipline concerned with the quality of the environment however it has a unique interdisciplinary nature that applies scientific as well as aesthetic principles. In 30 years the UWA Landscape Architecture programme educated a cohort of practitioners and academics who contributed to the development of landscape architecture in WA and Australia. Many of our alumni work for government agencies and local governments, nature conservation agencies, heritage conservation, planning consultancies, horticulture and landscape industry.

Landscape Architecture at UWA addresses the unique opportunities of the west coast of Australia and regional positioning in one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots. Landscape architecture studio and research work at UWA clearly highlight the leading role of landscape architects in dealing with the interactions between natural and cultural ecosystems.

The Landscape Architecture program at UWA offers a research pathway – Master’s dissertation by design and PhD dissertations. There was a wide range of research themes from sustainable landscape design and green-blue infrastructure to nostalgia and memory, water-sensitive design, planning and management practices, biodiversity-friendly botanical gardens and spontaneous urban plants and natures that are an authentic part of urban landscapes.

This catalogue documents the works of landscape architecture students at different stages of their education in landscape architecture at UWA alongside the work of their peers in the disciplines of Fine Arts, Architecture, History of Art and Urban Design.The range of presented examples celebrates the unique interdisciplinary nature of landscape architecture. Examples from the studio and theoretical units allowed us to see that landscape architecture students are broad thinkers who thrive on seeing the big picture. They address important issues of our challenging time: creating a resilient urban environment, nature protection and restoration, addressing cultural awareness, creating liveable spaces for sustainable communities, and saving water.

Maria Ignatieva, Head of Landscape Architecture, UWA School of Design

Image: Living Lab 2, Lawn as a Living Lab, UWA School of Design, Nedlands Campus.