Landscape Institute Awards 2018, Public Realm Architecture, UK Spatial Design Prize

Landscape Institute Awards 2018, UK

UK Architecture + Public Realm Design Prize

21 Jul 2018

Landscape Institute Awards 2018 News

Last chance to enter: Landscape Institute Awards 2018

The best in landscape architecture, design, planning and management sought for prestigious awards

Applications are open for the Landscape Institute Awards, the landscape profession’s most illustrious awards, until the end of the month – July 2018.

Celebrating excellence, innovation and creativity in the natural and built-environment, the Landscape Institute Awards showcase the exceptional work of the many different types of landscape professionals, including landscape designers, managers, planners and researchers and the impact it has on people’s lives.

There are two new categories this year: The Dame Sylvia Crowe Award for Outstanding International Contribution to People, Place and Nature – the first Landscape Institute Award that is open to individuals and organisations globally; and an award for Planting Design, Horticulture and Strategic Ecology.

Dame Sylvia Crowe was president of the Landscape Institute (then the Institute of Landscape Architects) between 1957 and 1959. A pioneer of landscape design, she is associated with the ‘landscape of power’ – writing about, as well as creating landscapes at nuclear power stations.

Her books include: The Landscape of Power and The Landscape of Roads. One of the most remarkable characteristics of her work is that she handled landscapes of hugely diverse scales, from small private gardens to hundreds of acres of new towns, forestry and reservoir margins. She exerted a huge influence on projects, persuading interdisciplinary teams to recognise the significance of views, landform and local character in determining the location and impact of new interventions in the landscape.

In her honour, and sixty years since the publication of The Landscape of Power, this new award recognises the global reach of the profession and celebrates major achievements that benefit people, place and nature through landscape-led approaches. Entries can be from any individual, organisation, employer, government or university or combination of groups, and can relate to any project, design, management plan, delivery or research that has contributed to knowledge and learning in any field of landscape practice.

The new Planting Design, Horticulture and Strategic Ecology category is broadening the reach of the awards and will showcase established planting schemes and horticulturally focused projects which contribute to the art and science of landscape architecture. This could include a range of sites that are either standalone or form part of a larger project. Entries should be innovative and appropriate to the setting; creative; functional; aesthetically pleasing and demonstrate an environmental, ecological or educational responsibility.

Dan Cook, CEO of the Landscape Institute said: “There is no doubt that there is growing pressure on our towns, cities and environment. The landscape profession plays a critical role in connecting people, place and nature together in clever and sympathetic ways, and these awards celebrate novel and exciting approaches in the profession. They also recognise the different public benefits that good landscape can bring, including health, environmental, social, and economic and we are delighted to have two new awards this year that will help broaden the reach of projects that can enter.”

“Entries are also welcome from students, as well as qualified professionals, which we are keen to encourage as we are running a new campaign #chooselandscape. One of the most pressing challenges for the landscape profession is a skills shortage at a time when the sector is growing steadily, and our new campaign aims to inspire more people into the profession which really makes a difference to people’s lives.”

In total there are 21 award categories including:

• 13 professional categories reflecting the breadth of work done by landscape professionals
• two student categories
• one open category, the new Dame Sylvia Crowe Award for Outstanding International Contribution to People, Place & Nature, which rewards excellence and leadership in the worldwide field of landscape and place

Landscape Institute

The deadline for online submissions is Tuesday 31st July, and a paper copy (where this is required) must be submitted by Monday 6th August.

For more details, examples of the sorts of projects in each category and judging criteria visit awards.landscapeinstitute.org for more information or to enter.