Landscape architecture under the microscope

Phillip Withers joins the podcast to discuss landscape design in relation to Country, place and European notions of control, as well as his part on the Habitus House of the Year 2025 Jury.

BY Timothy Alouani-Roby

October 23rd, 2025

Tags: architecture, awards, Country, design, garden, gardening, Habitus House of the Year, History, HOTY, housing, jury, landscape, landscape architect, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Phil withers, Phillip Withers, plants, The Commons, victoria

LISTEN HERE!

Phil Withers, of the eponymous landscape architecture practice, joins me in Melbourne at The Commons in mid-2025 as the first landscape architect on the podcast. We discussed a history of ideas – of what a garden is, its relationship to surrounding nature, European ideas of control and taming rather than Country-centred ones of care. Phil is also on this year’s jury for Winnings x Habitus House of the Year, and he shares insights into the perspective that a landscape designer can bring to architecture and interiors.

LISTEN HERE!

Phillip Withers
phillipwithers.com

INDESIGN is on instagram

Follow @indesignlive

The Indesign Collection

A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers

Kabi Chair Range

Stylecraft

Jac Architectural Lounge

Zenith

Jey

Zenith

Chromatic Cadence Collection

GH Commercial

Indesign Our Partners

Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!

Indesign

Translating design intent with Klaro’s manufacturing-led approach

In an industry where design intent is often diluted by value management and procurement pressures, Klaro Industrial Design positions manufacturing as a creative ally – allowing commercial interior designers to deliver unique pieces aligned to the project’s original vision.

Indesign

Bringing timeless Italian glamour to the Illawarra

True luxury strikes a balance between glamorous aesthetics and tactile pleasure, creating spaces rich in sensory delights to enhance the experience of daily life.

Indesign

From Country to Carpet: Milliken’s PrintWorks™ technology brings First Nations stories to the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence

At the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence on Yorta Yorta Country in Victoria, ARM Architecture and Milliken use PrintWorks™ technology to translate First Nations narratives into a layered, community-led floorscape.

Indesign

Craftsmanship meets calm with Gaggenau at Woollahra Village House

In a tightly held heritage pocket of Woollahra, a reworked Neo-Georgian house reveals the power of restraint. Designed by Tobias Partners, this compact home demonstrates how a reduced material palette, thoughtful appliance selection and enduring craftsmanship can create a space designed for generations to come.

A new hotel opens on Melbourne’s Western edge — with a bar to match

With design by SORA and LiFE, the opening of Mercure Melbourne La Trobe Street introduces a 195-room hotel to the CBD, alongside Foundry Bar and Kitchen — a rooftop-adjacent venue designed to draw both guests and locals.

Projects

Wellbeing at its best

Éthos by Biasol in Brighton reimagines the wellness clinic with sculptural interiors, rich materials and a calm, immersive experience.

News

The Lands by Capella reopens a Sydney landmark

At The Lands by Capella, Hassell and Purcell take a restrained approach to adaptive reuse — working with the existing building to reintroduce it as a public, mixed-use destination.

Projects

Designed for better education

Taking inspiration from nature, the design of St Francis Xavier College Berwick GPFLA by Bellemo & Cat provides an educational environment that enables best practice in learning and teaching.

While you were sleeping

The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed

Projects

Mim Design’s modernist interiors echo the coast

At Loller Street Apartments on Bunurong country, Mim Design’s interiors fuse with Telha Clarke’s modernist architecture, all while taking coastal cues from the bayside setting.

People

Designing density with character in our inner suburbs

Kerstin Thompson of KTA and Neometro Director Lochlan Sinclair discuss density, character and the inner city during a recent gathering in St Kilda East.

People

Italian design icon Roberto Palomba joins the podcast during Australia trip

Italian architect and designer Roberto Palomba has been travelling across Australia in February 2026 for a series of talks, showroom events and product launches.

Ideas

Elevate: Cottee Parker launches scheme for next generation of architectural leaders

Cottee Parker Architects has launched ‘Elevate,’ an eight-month program designed to rethink how emerging leaders are mentored, recognised and prepared for the realities of contemporary practice.

Landscape architecture under the microscope

The Indesign Collection

Kabi Chair Range

Jac Architectural Lounge

Jey

Chromatic Cadence Collection

Indesign Our Partners

Translating design intent with Klaro’s manufacturing-led approach

Bringing timeless Italian glamour to the Illawarra

From Country to Carpet: Milliken’s PrintWorks™ technology brings First Nations stories to the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence

Craftsmanship meets calm with Gaggenau at Woollahra Village House

Indesign Newsletter

Related Stories

A new hotel opens on Melbourne’s Western edge — with a bar to match

Wellbeing at its best

The Lands by Capella reopens a Sydney landmark

Designed for better education

While you were sleeping

Mim Design’s modernist interiors echo the coast

Designing density with character in our inner suburbs

Italian design icon Roberto Palomba joins the podcast during Australia trip

Elevate: Cottee Parker launches scheme for next generation of architectural leaders

Subscribe to our Newsletters