Jury comment
The LXRP Indigenous Design Guidelines introduce a new dimension to the thinking around infrastructure in Victoria and form a valuable Indigenous-led design and advocacy resource for Australian designers. The guidelines recast infrastructure as spaces that can express and support culture and promote the role of landscape architects in developing Indigenous-led design approaches and outcomes. Concise but comprehensive, the document provides guidance around meaningful collaboration with Traditional Owners throughout the design process and around the respectful integration of Aboriginal knowledge and culture into the built environment. These best-practice approaches are presented clearly and illustrated by local precedents, forming a valuable resource that is transferable to other disciplines and project types. The document’s communication is clear and accessible to non-design audiences, making it a powerful advocacy tool. Overall, the guidelines constitute a directive that has been missing in the profession, setting a preliminary benchmark from which to learn and build.
LXRP Indigenous Design Guidelines applies to Melbourne, Victoria on the land of the Kulin people.
Project credits
Design practice Level Crossing Removal Project Collaborators AECOM and GHD (joint venture) Photographer LXRP
To view all the winners of the 2021 National Landscape Architecture Awards, go here.
