2016 Gallery
Winner: Sustainability
Kennedy Nolan in collaboration with Sam Cox Landscape for Fairfield House
This is a south facing, steep bush block on the banks of the Yarra River in the inner-city suburb of Fairfield.
A number of external spaces have been designed to make this native garden habitable.
They are strung along a winding path that leads to the banks of the river.
Jury Citation
Great effort and restraint has been practiced in this outdoor environment, from the complete regeneration and rehabilitation of a bushland setting with endemic species to the experimental bio-pool that required extensive research and commitment.
A microclimate is created through a sensitive hand, demonstrating that a small outdoor project can impact significantly on the natural environment. This project is an exemplar for all the community - it advocates an approach to design and the environment that is accessible and does not rely on high technology, and it embraces an attitude that is distinctly Australian. With a sensitive hand and mind we can have our piece of nature, preserve it and share it with others.
The riverbanks have been stabilized and the fauna returned to a familiar and safe environment. The garden is watered naturally when it rains and the pool is serviced by solar tubing and power offset by photovoltaic cells.
This is a rare project that generously offers an authentic approach to celebrating and preserving our natural ecosystem. It achieves this to the benefit of surrounding properties that now enjoy a small fragment of the Australian bush.
