AECOM’s Earth Central design has been announced as winner of Australian Institute of Landscape Architects ’ Street 11 competition.
The competition site is a 2km long strip of the Maroondah Highway that runs from Cavehill Road to Anderson Street in Lilydale on the outskirts of Melbourne, and landscape designers from all over Australia had the opportunity to share their vision for the streetscape.
Key challenges included creating a town centre that would be beautiful and environmentally sustainable as well as pedestrian-oriented.
The competition jury included leading landscape architects and academics:
- Professor Gini Lee (Elisabeth Murdoch Chair of Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne)
- Lorrae Wild (principal landscape architect, VicRoads)
- Jane Sinnamon (manager capital works and urban planning, Shire of Yarra Ranges); and
- Jill Garner (associate Victorian State Government Architect)
Earth Central demonstrates an achievable approach to social, economic and ecological development, with the scheme’s strong point being its ability to challenge the symmetry of the street, effectively creating a new town centre focused around a central park.
The Office of Other Spaces was the winner of Best Urban Tactic for its Made in Lilydale submission, which suggests a social tactic of participation and activity can be supported by a quantifiable projection of the physical changes required to make change happen.
The Made in Lilydale submission advocates a scientific approach to soft infrastructure – a social framework – that benefits from hard work, patience and resilience, while comparing the street to an ecosystem.
Details of the winning entries can be viewed at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects website.
