This section features project work from Lincoln University students over the past few years, showing how their work has been influenced by particular designers and design movements.
Environmental Art - Wendy Duggan
This design proposal aimed to restore the ecological health of the neglected Christchurch Heathcote River and Estuary floodplain by introducing “a new dimension in the relationship between art and landscape.” 1 Native vegetation, water features and sculptural elements are located in different ‘rooms’ created in the landscape and visitors are made aware of the integration of ecology and art. For example “ Rows of young cabbage trees are planted in a linear fashion, their straight and upright form as natural ‘tombstones’…As the layers of earth in the landfill are naturally regenerated, the form of the mature cabbage trees will reflect this process, becoming less lineal…more organic in form.”2
Wendy’s attention to change of natural materials over time is reflective of work by artists such as Andy Goldsworthy.
more examples (PDF 2 MB)
- Landscape New Zealand, September/October 2003, p. 32.
- Ibid
Contemporary Design - Stuart Houghton
Stuart’s design proposal creates new uses for the reclaimed Wellington waterfront where disused parts of the port and railway lay derelict and separated from the city. Stuart says "My project explored the potential urban futures for a large post-industrial expanse of reclaimed land in Wellington known as the 'City Gateway'”. By ‘grafting’ existing aspects of the central city through the waterfront stadium, Stuart provides a series of open space connections and contemporary uses which link Wellington city to the sea. Similar to West 8’s philosophy, Stuart’s work shows how contemporary design can utilize the existing infrastructure and the ways in which people use a space, to provide uplifting spaces with new parks and pedestrian walkways.
Stuart’s design won a gold award in the 2004 New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects ‘Pride of Place’ Awards.
more examples (PDF 1 MB)
Cultural Design - Lisa Fleming
Divided in to 5 sites, or fingers, this design proposal exposes attributes of the landscape like the lines on a hand. The lines on Te Ringaringa (The Hand) were present during the formation of the landscape and have grown as the landform has evolved, signifying layers of accumulated experience and growth. The purpose of the design is to make people more aware of what has happened here in the past, what is happening now and what the future may bring. The five fingers with varying names are linked by a series of specialised walkways, which act as the veins, and arteries of the hand pumping life around the peninsula and helping it to remain alive. For example, Te Konui (The Thumb) is the first one of five developments around the peninsula which aims to preserve, protect, enhance and expose the many cultural, ecological and natural values found on the site.
It is a design which explores both Maori and European land use and the geological processes that underpin mans existence on the peninsula. Lisa’s work reflects the philosophy of designers such as Moshe Safdie who says that landscape architects have “a responsibility to contribute richly to [a landscape’s] setting and enduringly to its community”.
more examples (PDF 3 MB)
Landscape Architecture & Architecture - Sarah Bishop
Sarah suggests that the idea of the coast as a ‘line’ has come about through the process of mapping when in reality it is an ‘ever changing space of natural and human processes’. Using the site of Owhiro Bay on the south coast of Wellington, Sarah draws attention to these processes by inserting a walkway which recovers elements of the area’s cultural and natural processes, using measurements of the processes occurring within the line. Structures are inserted into the line, occupying and measuring the space between land and sea, from east to west. For example, a linear park is inserted along the western edge, separating coast from land through the addition of another linear layer. Small boat slipways and pedestrian scale piers link the layers of landform, housing, road, inserted park, coast and sea. Reminiscent of the work of landscape architects such as Foreign Office Architects, the distinction between landscape architecture and architecture is merged as she explores the local topography through the integration of landscape and structures.
Sarah’s design won 1st prize in the prestigious UNESCO/International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Competition in 2001.
more examples (PDF 1 MB)
Landscape & Memory - Wendy Hoddinott
A walkway along the disused railway embankment beside Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, engages people with the passing of time and the ecological and cultural stories of the area. Instead of trying to ‘educate’ people through signs and displays, heritage interpretation in the landscape involves structures that stimulate people’s imagination and memory. For example, as lake levels rise and fall, a jetty that leads people out to the lake edge changes form from a fish hook at high lake levels to a waka at low lake levels. This reference to Ngai Tahu’s heritage is one of the many ‘layers’ where design integrates the cultural and ecological activity in the area. This work was influenced by contemporary European designer, George Descombes, and his careful attention to the role of time and memory in expressing a site’s character.
Urban Waterfronts - Chris Punt
Chris Punt – ‘Tahunanui Ecological Park – A Fresh Perspective’
The design of an ecological park along the Tahunanui waterfront in Nelson, reveals the landscape and the various ecosystems that were once found in the region. The design integrates the ecological activity of the landscape with community activities by providing pedestrian, cycle and vehicular links. Green fingers of both exotic and native vegetation extend into the suburb, and development is brought closer to the waterfront thus reducing the linearity of the site’s urban edge. New development includes informative walkways, galleries, cafes, shops and art spaces, expressing the artistic character that exists in Nelson. Chris’s work was influenced by contemporary ‘Eco-revelatory’ designs to help people understand and appreciate the landscape’s functions and processes. His intentions are similar to that of Michael Van Valkenburgh who designed part of New York’s Battery Park, stimulating community activity near the waterfront.
more examples (PDF 8 MB)
Parks/Remediation - Charlotte Jackson
This proposal for Ian Galloway Park initiates an ecological and recreational corridor along the western edge of Wellington City. The idea is to draw people to this former landfill site which lies in a central suburban area, using the cultural and natural stories of the site. These natural qualities beneath the ground that have been covered by the landfill, are brought to the surface, emphasising the original landscape before human intervention. For example,
culture and nature are intertwined as the natural flowing form of the Kaiwharawhara stream is brought to the surface and intersects a cultural archeological grid. Charlotte has used this grid which extends beyond the boundaries of the site using the form of a major native revegetation scheme throughout the Valley to create an ecological corridor from Otari through to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. This regular grid pattern breaks down over the site from the Karori cemetery as the deposition of cultural waste and archaeology becomes more random and unaccepted. Charlotte’s work is reminiscent of the work undertaken by James Corner and Field Operations in the derelict brownfield site of Fresh Kills Park, Staten Island, New York.
more examples (PDF 2 MB)
Sustainable/Regenerative Design - Natalie Watkinson
The site of a rainforest in pre-European times, Natalie’s design proposal focuses on the Westfield Shopping Mall and carpark in Christchurch. By harvesting rain from the large area of hard surfaces (e.g. carpark, paving and roofs), Natalie’s aim was to restore a little of what was taken from nature through settlement and development, to water a number of small gardens at the Mall. Natalie’s design was awarded 3rd prize in the International Federation of Landscape Architects – UNESCO Student Design Competition. The judge’s comments were that “the design succeeded in demonstrating how the environment can be dramatically improved at minimal expense”. Natalie’s project uses sustainable principles that underlie the work of landscape architects such as Robert Thayer.
Natalie was in her 3rd year of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programme at Lincoln University when she won this prestigious award.