RPS wins top honours at the 2024 Queensland AILA Landscape Architecture Awards

Setting a benchmark in landscape architecture with two major awards

RPS took out two significant awards at the annual Queensland AILA Awards, which recognises excellence in landscape architecture and the positive impact the profession has on Australian communities.

Riviere, the multi-unit residential tower at Kangaroo Point was the recipient of the distinguished Award of Excellence in the Gardens category. The jury lauded Riviere as a benchmark for contemporary urban gardens, noting that it, “successfully translates the visual qualities, experiential values, and distinctive detailing, typical of a traditional family home, into the communal spaces of a contemporary high-density apartment setting.” 

The Gardens category acknowledges the significant role of gardens in both urban and rural environments, encompassing private and public spaces. 

RPS also received a Landscape Architecture Award, for its work on the Cunnamulla Hot Springs and River Walk project. Located on the banks of the Warrego River, between Queensland and New South Wales, this project garnered acclaim in the Tourism category for its thoughtful landscape design that significantly enhances the profile of the Paroo Shire Council riverside area.

The jury praised the RPS Landscape Architecture team’s work in this unique day spa destination, designed in collaboration with COX Architecture, for “demonstrating a clear vision and well-executed outcome.”

“This project is an example of how the local landscape character and context can be successfully expressed in both built and landscape design form to achieve a unique and modern outcome appropriate for its location and function. Local materiality, sourcing and council partnership are to be commended, as is the celebration of context and rural Queensland character without reverting to the outback trope,” the jury explained. 

RPS’ National Service Line Leader – Landscape Architecture, Andrew Galt, expressed immense pride in the wins, saying “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for earning such industry commendation.” 

“The Cunnamulla Hot Springs and River Walk project integrates native gardens that reflect the surrounding natural vegetation, red earth, and swirling river, while the Riviere mirrors the geometric form and materiality of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, showcasing a native garden reminiscent of the endemic open grassland character.”

Jury Chair Liam Cridland emphasised the transformative power of landscape architecture, noting “Landscape architecture can heal, regenerate, reinvigorate, or re-life our urban and regional landscapes, communities and cultural spaces across a variety of scales.”

The two award-winning RPS projects will advance to the National Landscape Architecture Awards to be held in October 2024.