February issue of LAA – “Reframing Innovation” – out now

This first issue of Landscape Architecture Australia for 2024 focuses on innovation in the landscape architecture industry.

Our guest editors, Jela Ivankovic-Waters and Darren Hickmott, have collated a series of articles that explore what innovation might mean within the landscape architecture profession and highlight the methods individuals and studios are using to expand how landscape architects work. By applying design skills and knowledge in new ways, the landscape architecture profession can generate fresh ways of approaching design, which can, in turn, influence thinking in other disciplines.

Jela’s interest in this topic stems from her PhD research at the University of Melbourne on how Building Information Modelling (BIM) is being adopted by Australian landscape architecture practices. Darren, on the other hand, has overseen processes of change in multiple contexts and scales, over the course of a career that has taken him from landscape architect in London to leader of digital transformation in Arup’s Brisbane office.

The resulting edition sharpens thinking around what it takes to innovate in design practice and what steps studios can take to ensure they are keeping up with – and pushing – development in the field. The Landscape Architecture Australia team thanks Jela and Darren for their insightful editing of this issue.

In other news, we’re soon to reveal the winners of the 2023 Landscape Student Prize, our annual celebration of the top projects produced in landscape architecture education across the country. Each year, we conduct an in-depth interview with the national winner and this will be available on the Landscape Australia website very shortly – stay tuned.

– Emily Wong, editor

To read Jela Ivankovic-Waters and Darren Hickmott’s introduction to the February 2024 edition of Landscape Architecture Australia, go here.

In this issue:

• Viewpoint. A message from AILA President Ben Willsmore.

• Reframing innovation. Guest editors Jela Ivankovic-Waters and Darren Hickmott on innovation in the landscape architecture industry.

• A global perspective on innovation. What do we need in the landscape architecture industry in order to move forward? Article by Darren Hickmott.

• Generating narratives. Visualization studio Lucernal is driving design thinking and business development through video game development. Article by Fiona Johnson.

• Seeds of change. New tools are exploring the potential of planting design in the digital space. Article by Michael G. White.

• Virtual botanicals. Garth Henderson’s botanical artworks draw attention to the wonders and dangers of digital design. Article by Jess Stewart.

• The University of Melbourne Student Precinct. The design of the new student precinct favours a collaborative approach. Review by Jocelyn Chiew.

• Women in innovation leadership. Four women talk innovation, incremental change and fostering communication. Interview by Jela Ivankovic-Waters.

• Innovating in education. A recent roundtable reflected on the future of landscape architecture education amid trends. Article by Claire Martin.

• Working at the edge. Landskip Lab is adapting methods from the science disciplines to develop new modes of practice. Article by James Melsom.

• Duplicating our worlds. With their responsive flow of information, digital twins have the potential to improve design decision-making. Article by Wendy Walls.

• Sydney Modern. The expansion of the Art Gallery of NSW campus interwines landscape, building and site. Review by Julian Raxworthy.

• Measuring performance for nature recovery. Making the most of existing digital tools while developing new ones can help us to optimize our design outcomes. Article by Chris Madigan.

• Tech tools of the trade. These landscape architects built custom digital toolkits to improve their project outcomes. Interview by Philip Belesky.

• BIM in practice. BIM offers exciting possibilities for landscape architecture – and understanding how to use it effectively is crucial. Article by Jyotsna Mishra.

• Un/Earth: 2023 AILA Festival. Considering the 2023 AILA Festival of Landscape Architecture, themed Un/Earth. Review by Ella Gauci-Seddon.