Bunbury, Albany and Subi East are among the sites taking out prizes at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Western Australian Chapter Awards.
Maidens Reserve, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation & Attractions (DBCA), photography by DBCA.
June 2nd, 2025
The AILA WA has announced the winners of the state’s best landscape architecture in a ceremony held at the Royal Perth Yacht Club on Friday 30th May. The ceremony celebrated 12 award-winning projects, from a field of 20 entries, across categories spanning civic and infrastructure projects through to play spaces, gardens, health, education landscapes and more.
The night’s top honour, the WA Medal, was awarded to Maidens Reserve, in Bunbury. Maidens Reserve is a coastal nature reserve featuring lookouts, hiking and walking trails, and picnic and play spaces situated in Bunbury, south of Perth. The City of Bunbury (Adjacent Land Manager) and the City of Bunbury Co-Design Access Panel (Accessibility Specialists) were among the collaborators who helped realise the project. Designed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation & Attractions, the AILA WA Jury Chair Amanda Mannolini said the project captivated the jury.
“Through subtle interventions and careful restoration, the project enhances both access and ecological integrity — allowing the landscape to heal while welcoming more people to experience it,” says Mannolini. “Its sensitive design minimises impact while maximising engagement, weaving built form seamlessly into the natural setting. This is a landmark example of regional landscape architecture that offers a bold, memorable, and deeply inclusive experience for all.”
Maidens Reserve was also honoured with an Award of Excellence in the category of Parks and Open Space, in addition to receiving a Regional Achievement Award.
The landscape architecture of The Oval at Subi East– a redevelopment masterplan and one of the most significant urban infill projects in WA’s built environment history – was designed by UDLA + OCULUS. The project took home an Award of Excellence in the category of Cultural Heritage. Additionally, The Oval at Subi East was awarded two Landscape Architecture Awards — in the categories of Parks and Open Space, as well as Civic Landscape.
The jury complemented the designers’ reimagining of this landscape: “This complex, high-profile project meets significant technical and community expectations with clarity and sensitivity. Leadership in Indigenous engagement is central to its success, shifting from consultation to co-decision-making with Traditional Owners.”
Middelton Beach Foreshore Stage 1, a renewal project on one of Albany’s most cherished coastal destinations, was honoured with an Award of Excellence in the Civic Landscape category. The project, designed by the City of Albany and See Design, also received a Regional Achievement Award.
The jury applauded the designers’ material selection and their response to the coastline’s erosion: “The design leverages the site’s natural beauty and applies a restrained, elegant material palette to shape a series of multifunctional public spaces that improve beach access and amenity. A concealed sea wall has been seamlessly integrated into the landscape to address long-term coastal erosion, ensuring resilience and continued public use for generations to come.”
Related: TCL on transforming cities
All winners of an AILA WA Award will now proceed to the National Landscape Architecture Awards, to be announced later this year.
Here is the full list of winners:
Civic Landscape
Community Contribution
Cultural Heritage
Gardens
Health and Education Landscape
Land Management
Landscape Planning
Parks and Open Space
Research, Policy and Communications
Small Projects
Tourism
Regional Achievement
WA Medal
AILA
aila.org.au
Read about this football project in Mexico for some landscape inspiration
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
BLANCOCULINA-S II Sensor promotes water efficiency and reduces waste, representing a leap forward in faucet technology.
Within the intimate confines of compact living, where space is at a premium, efficiency is critical and dining out often trumps home cooking, Gaggenau’s 400 Series Culinary Drawer proves that limited space can, in fact, unlock unlimited culinary possibilities.
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
A regional mall, residential garden, school yard and train station were all among the projects honoured at this year’s Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ (AILA) Victorian Awards.
Queers in Property (QIP) NSW hosted a Pride Month event, Home Truths: Sydney’s Housing Crisis and the LGBTQIA+ Community, on Thursday 5th June 2025.
Humanscale’s Chief Sustainability Officer is embarking on a tour of Australia, delivering a talk entitled: “Sustainable by Design: Materials Transparency for a Healthier Planet.” At the same time, the company opens a brand new showroom in Sydney. We met her to find out more.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
From the industry-defining impact of the humble fabric swatch to the resonant statement on relevance and innovation at this year’s Salone del Mobile, Knoll’s material excellence continues to shape the world of design. Here, we explore this extraordinary legacy and look at how it informs the brand’s contemporary expression and the future of design.
In Cremorne, Foolscap Studio has completed Forum – a co-working space that finds inspiration in some Classical archetypes.
Bunbury, Albany and Subi East are among the sites taking out prizes at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Western Australian Chapter Awards.
Emerging from millennia of geological force, each exquisite slab tells a singular narrative etched by time and tectonic power. And this luxurious dwelling serves as a masterful recontextualisation of this enduring beauty, highlighting the extraordinary aesthetic and uncompromising strength as the ultimate expressions of residential grandeur.