August issue of LAA – “Matters of Time” – out now

Late last year, when we approached Daniel Jan Martin and Liam Mouritz to discuss the possibility of a guest-edited issue, we were very interested to see what kinds of questions landscape architects in different areas of practice were thinking about.

Liam is a landscape architect and urban designer with experience working in private practice both within Australia and overseas, and Daniel brings a background in architecture, landscape architecture and environmental planning to these discussions. Both are based in Western Australia and are deeply engaged in research, teaching and advocacy in areas including sustainable suburban development, designing with water systems, and the development of proposals and mitigation strategies for climate change. From time to time, they collaborate on projects under the banner Super Natural.

Over the past two years, we’ve had a strange relationship with time. During and since the pandemic, the idea that time passes at different rates for different people in different locations has never (in recent times, at least) been more apparent. Time, in a general sense, has been very much on our minds. So, when Daniel and Liam suggested that we dedicate this August issue of the magazine to thinking about the relationship between time, landscape and our professional practices, the idea seemed both opportune and appropriate. Landscapes, as we know, exist as a continuum – rather than being “complete,” they continue to grow
and to change.

For us, the process of working with Daniel and Liam to curate this issue has also been an opportunity to reflect on time in a slightly different way – the journey of putting together a magazine. From our early thoughts of a guest-edited issue, to initial conversations with Daniel and Liam, to approaching contributors, discussions over Zoom, the editing of texts and selection of images, through to article layout and production – all of this has taken varying amounts of time.

With this in mind, we would like to thank Daniel and Liam for the time they have put into curating this issue. We thank our collaborators and contributors for the time they have put into researching their discussions, the time they have taken to visit their respective places, and the time put aside to reflect thoughtfully upon them.

As our guest editors say in their editorial for the issue, “The traditional approach to operating as a landscape architect doesn’t allow for serious engagement with the myriad dimensions of time” (page 10). We hope this issue of the magazine offers a space away from the hectic pace of the studio to consider how we might incorporate time more explicitly in our practices.

– Emily Wong, editor

To read Daniel Jan Martin and Liam Mouritz’s introduction to the August 2022 issue of Landscape Architecture Australia, go here.

In this issue:

• Viewpoint. A message from AILA National Director Katharina Nieberler-Walker.

• An issue on time. Guest editors Daniel Jan Martin and Liam Mouritz reflect on the relationship between time, landscape and design.

• Look to the Skies, think like an Ancestor. A beginner’s guide to Country-driven long-term thinking. Article by Kaylie Salvatori.

• Ancient landscapes, remnant landscapes. Designing and conserving a biodiverse landscape in Australia’s south-west. Article by Daniel Jan Martin.

• An unfolding landscape. The evolution of Brisbane’s South Bank offers lessons about the opportunities of landscape development over time. Article by Catherin Bull.

• Centring ecological regeneration. Not-for-profit organization APACE is fostering community resilience and embracing change. Article by Alice Ford.

• Outback ecologies. A garden near the South Australian desert foregrounds the plant life of arid regions. Article by Scott Hawken.

• Estudi Martí Franch. The Catalonian practice creates “response-able” landscapes that can adapt to different temporalities and scales. Interview by Liam Mouritz.

• Notes from the margins. Exploring marginal spaces at the edges of cities with British geographer, Matthew Gandy. Interview by Julian Raxworthy.

• Slow growth. A botanic garden built on a former landfill in Victoria has unfurled incrementally over decades. Article by Adrian Marshall.

• Making time in practice. How can a richer engagement with time transform our modes of practice? Article by Jess Stewart.

• Remaking lost connections. In Western Australia, a large-scale landscape restoration project is linking isolated islands of biodiversity.Article by Rosie Halsmith.

• Wonder of time. A network of projects across the Flinders Ranges will help preserve fossils half a billion years old. Article by Joe Bean and Greg Grabasch.

• Re-envisioning climate futures. Unpacking how we can design responses to climate change impacts that embrace present, mid-term and long-term outcomes. Article by Alex Felson.

• Between action and forgetting. The story of Balls Head Reserve is less about preservation and more about collective creation. Article by David Whitworth.