The AILA Victoria Awards were celebrated at a ceremony held at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom on Thursday 5th June. From a field of 70 entries, the judges selected 35 winners across 16 categories.

“From projects that bring new life into city centres to those that regenerate huge swathes of degraded landscapes, this year’s winning work showcases the incredible contribution landscape architecture makes to our communities, culture, environment and economy,” says AILA Victoria Jury Chair, Bridget Keane.

Ballarat’s Bridge Mall Redevelopment, by Hassell Studio, was dually honoured with an Award of Excellence for Civic Landscape and a Regional Achievement Award. The project revitalises Ballarat’s historic retail precinct into a vibrant, people-focused meeting place.

The jury praised the designers for their ‘streets for people’ approach, and their rigorous and collaborative design process. “The result is a high quality, skilful and contextually responsive sequence of civic spaces and experiences that have delivered on the potential for transformational change,” according to the jury. Their high praise of the project continued: “Bridge Mall elevates Ballarat’s urban experience and shows landscape architecture’s ability to catalyse social and economic benefits in regional precincts.”

Hedge House garden, designed by Emergent Studios (Bush Projects), received an Award of Excellence and was described as “a triumph of regeneration, biodiversity and habitat creation.” The project extends a neighbouring reserve’s bushland, incorporating regenerative biodiverse planting and habitat features that contribute to the ecological restoration of the parklands.

The jury applauded the design’s “immersive and evolving landscape.” This garden advocates for engagement with the local environment and highlights its potential to enrich everyday life. Simultaneously considered, exuberant and wild, it is a model of domestic design, ecology and sustainability. The jury concluded: “This project will help inform future approaches to our suburban gardens and landscapes.”

Related: AILA WA Awards winners

Meanwhile, Stone Hill Gully and Escarpment Regeneration by Thomson Hay Landscape Architects received a Landscape Management Award of Excellence for its transformation of what was once a degraded landscape. The project also took home an Infrastructure Landscape Architecture Award. In a touching tribute to the designers, the jury said: “The result shows that the country can be revived with will, skill and ongoing commitment. Care is forever.”

Elsewhere, Central Park All-Abilities Playground by SBLA Studio with City of Stonnington was honoured with an Award of Excellence in the ‘play spaces’ category. The jury commended the designers for achieving a sense of wonder and discovery: “This delightful small playspace offers a welcome contrast to the oft-heavily constructed playgrounds seen in our urban parks. The design feels more like a whimsical and interactive garden plucked from the imagination of a child and brought to life! It delivers a tapestry of tactile experiences and learning opportunities.”

All winners of an AILA VIC Award will now proceed to the National Landscape Architecture Awards, to be announced in October in Hobart/Nipaluna.

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Read about the WA AILA winners here