Landscape Architecture: In The News and Around The World
IN THE NEWS
Unitec’s Matthew Bradbury on Radio NZ
On 14 September the leader of the landscape architecture programme at Unitec MIT, Associate Professor Matthew Bradbury, spoke on RNZ’s Nine To Noon about urban issues. Click on the image above to listen to Matthew speak about infrastructure and climate change.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026: An Integenerational Journey
Rebecca Jerram, who is also on the landscape architecture teaching team at Unitec, was featured in a piece on RNZ during Te Wiki on the evolving education of te reo Māori in Aotearoa. The item quotes Rebecca sharing her thought that “we actually owe it to our future New Zealanders [to learn te reo], to be honest”, adding "If you've been here a long time, then maybe the onus is on us even more to make sure that, hey, we've been hanging out here for quite a while, and we really need to understand te ao Māori and te taiao, and all the concepts that come with being a partner with Māori."
Rebecca: “"Māori have been very patient with Pākehā in that they've actually opened their world to us. It's up to us to reciprocate. It's never been, or not in my lifetime, has it been thrown at us. It's not been taunted for not speaking the tongue of the whenua. We've been coached and manaaki-ed through with a lot of awhi, and how lucky are we that Māori are prepared to take a long walk. It's a long, long walk, it's generational, and I still encourage Pākehā to join that walk."
You can read more and listen to this RNZ item here rnz.co.nz/news/te-ao-maori/ Rebecca also recommends reading another story at Te Ao Māori about the journey taken by Nathan Grey (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa) to find his way back to te reo Māori.
Around the world
Travelling Lawrence Halprin exhibition closes out in New York City
A traveling photographic exhibition about the life and work of renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin (1916-2009) opened in Brooklyn, New York City, in September. Given Halprin’s birthplace is Brooklyn it’s a fitting location for the exhibition, which first went out on the road almost 10 years ago, to have its last showing. Halprin’s legacy, and the protection thereof, is featured in the The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Landslide programme. The photography exhibition displays more than 50 commissioned photographs of residential, civic, and commercial projects he worked on. A Halprin Personal Drawing Collection is also available to view at lawrencehalprin.com The exhibition at ABC Stone in Brooklyn runs until 23 October. (Thank you to Nord Wennerstrom, TCLF communications director, for facilitating provision of the photo above).
UK: Andrew Grant a speaker at Extreme Climate Extreme Architecture
EVENTS WATCH: Andrew Grant, of the pioneering international landscape architecture practice Grant Associates, will be a speaker on 3 October at a symposium in the UK titled ‘Extreme Climate, Extreme Architecture’.
This will be the sixth annual occurrence of this event at Messums West in Tisbury. It brings practitioners together to discuss sustainable and resilient design for extreme climates and landscapes, with experts this year talking about working on projects in some of the most demanding environments imaginable, including talks on innovative designs for mobile Antarctic facilities and architectural design for the lunar environment (using lunar regolith as the building material) through to talking about ecology, biodiversity, and climate resilience in landscape architecture.
The programme will be chaired by Peter Clegg of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Mike Stiff of Stiff + Trevillion. Mike: "As I write wildfires are raging across Europe and the UK. There is no doubt that we will all need to reassess how we live in the future”.
Media Release: Landscape Architecture That Works Like Infrastructure
BLT BUILT DESIGN AWARDS: Landscape architecture is becoming one way cities work better as it helps cool streets, manage water, support biodiversity, improve walkability and make public space more useful. In two BLT Built Design Awards winners, that wider role is easy to see: on Phi Phi, a wastewater facility becomes an ecological park, while in London, one of the city’s best-known streets becomes greener, more comfortable and easier to move through.
Koh Phi Phi, once an ecological paradise, now faces environmental degradation from tourism-driven wastewater pollution. When the Wastewater Management Authority expanded treatment capacity with underground tanks, the land above could have become the usual leftover lawn. Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect instead turned the 7,072-square-metre site into a park that treats water, supports biodiversity and gives the community somewhere to be. Treated water flows into a phytoremediation pond for final polishing before discharge, while the same pond also works as a stormwater basin and irrigation reservoir. Native planting reduces maintenance, while walking trails, a sports court, bouldering walls and an outdoor gym make the infrastructure part of everyday life. Interactive signage, access to the treatment process and the bottle-cap-clad Swimming Fish Tower turn the site into a living classroom rather than something to hide behind a fence. View The Phi Phi Wastewater Management Ecological Park
Sloane Street Transformation. On Sloane Street, the infrastructure is less obvious but just as measurable. The one-kilometre transformation, led by Cadogan in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with John McAslan + Partners, Andy Sturgeon Design and WSP, widened pavements by 23% and introduced over 100 new trees. The project delivered a 175% increase in biodiversity and a 17% increase in Urban Greening Factor through over 100 new trees and diverse perennial planting, helping mitigate urban heat island effects and support year-round ecological health. The project supports microclimate regulation and air purification while softening the urban environment. Visitors now enjoy a serene landscape, once a traffic-heavy route to a destination for relaxation and retail; reaffirming the Street’s prestige and merging heritage with ecological innovation for future resilience. View Sloane Street Transformation – Luxury Green Boulevard
UK: 'Nobody has ever designed the Royal Observatory's landscape – this is an incredible opportunity'
EXCERPT: Every so often, there are projects that feel particularly monumental, explains landscape architect James Fox. The First Light redevelopment project at the Royal Observatory is one of them.
The founder of FFLO, a landscape design company that specialises in sensitive historic landscapes, gardens and public spaces, Fox has worked on projects including the redevelopment of Kensington Palace’s gardens, and the creation of a new park in Exchange Square, City of London.
His work on the First Light project will provide a fresh approach to the Royal Observatory’s landscaping. A handrail will guide the visitor's journey across the site, taking in garden enclosures, terraces and installations, offering space for enjoyment and reflection. Creative planting will also reference aspects of the Observatory's history and scientific endeavours.
SOURCE/ READ MORE: Royal Museums Greenwich