This year’s fifth edition of the Landezine International Landscape Awards – LILA – took place under extraordinary circumstances. The winning entries were announced without an award ceremony due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. The jury gave out 7 awards and 5 special mentions, while the editors of Landezine selected the recipients of the Office and Honour Awards. Editor-in-chief Zaš Brezar pointed out that the award winners illustrated the large variety of approaches and current dominating themes within landscape architecture.

The winning projects in the categories Public Project – Phase Shifts Park by French landscape architects mosbach paysagistes – and Infrastructure – Girona’s Shores by EMF – stood out for their aspiration to give back to society and a relaxed, informal design approach instead of overdesigning spaces. With regard to the Catalan project the jury recognized the role of the landscape architect not only as designer, but as a social catalyst enabling positive change.

LANDEZINE INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE AWARD 2020 2020 Ex Aequo Winner in Gardens category: Ellipse Garden by Kjeld Slot Havearkitekt, Denmark LANDEZINE The jury recognized the tension and the atmospheric density that was achieved by well-known tools of garden design. The use Continued. Kjeld Slot Only available on First Deposit. Deposit needs to be wagered at least once. Min Kjeld Slot first dep of £20 required. For every £10 deposited on first deposit, 10 Cash Spins will be awarded. No wagering on Kjeld Slot Cash Spins winnings. Max winnings from Cash Spins is £300. Neteller & Skrill deposits excluded.

Phase Shifts Park by mosbach paysagistes:

• One of the winning projects in the categories Public Project: Phase Shifts Park by French landscape architects mosbach paysagistes

• Biosphere Design; Credits: mosbach paysagistes

• Hearing; Credits: mosbach paysagistes

• Litosphere Design between University technological campus; Credits: mosbach paysagistes

• Northern Sport Land, Northern lounge at the back; Credits: mosbach paysagistes

Girona’s Shores by EMF:

• EMF: Gorona's Shores - S Mountain Pilot Project, Pederes Mountain loop plan; Credits: EMF

• Birdview Ter River; Credits: EMF

• Design of differentiated managment

• river management

• Praire managed

• Confetti; Credits: EMF

• 'shore' tatami

• Land Art at the shore

Special mentions in these categories went to the projects Lifting The Palm Grove To a Higher Level in Morocco by Building Beyond Borders, Yongqing Fang Alleyways – An Urban Transformation by Chinese architects Lab D+H and the Ballerup Boulevard in Denmark by Marianne Levinsen Landskab.

Swiss project Fold’s Childhood by Gilles Brusset won the Playgrounds category. A play with topography and two different materials, the project takes its inspiration from the geological processes that shaped the Jura Mountains and creates an interesting contrast to the surrounding modernist residential housing complex. “While the design tools are simple, they offer a layered complexity within this simplicity,” the jury stated.

• Swiss project Fold’s Childhood by Gilles Brusset won the Playgrounds category. © Pierre-Yves Brunaud

• Fold’s Childhood by Gilles Brusset © Pierre-Yves Brunaud

• Fold’s Childhood by Gilles Brusset © Binocle

• © Binocle

• © Gilles Brusset

Selected as winner of the Hospitality category was the Catalan project Terra Dominicata Hotel & Winery by SCOB Architecture & Landscape, with a special mention to Cloud of Hometown in China by gad · line+ studio. Danish architects Juul Frost Architects received the award for the Residential category for their project Flyvestation Værløse. A special mention went to the French project Square Maïmat by Emma Blanc. The awards in the Gardens category were handed out ex aequo to Ellipse Garden in Denmark by Kjeld Slot Havearkitekt and Dutch project Anticipating the Landscape by Andrew van Egmond.

• Danish architects Juul Frost Architects received the award for the Residential category for their project Flyvestation Værløse.

• Flyvestation Værløse by Juul Frost Architects

• Flyvestation Værløse by Juul Frost Architects

• Flyvestation Værløse by Juul Frost Architects

The Enfant terrible of the landscape architecture scene

Topotek 1 was selected as this year’s winner of the Office Award. “Enfant terrible” of the landscape architecture scene with a unique approach, attitude and confidence that dares to experiment, according to Brezar, something that “the Landezine team would truly wish to see more of in landscape architecture offices around the world.”

Honour Award winner Charles A. Birnbaum, founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, has been recognised for his outstanding advocacy work to foster the appreciation of landscape and landscape heritage within society. His promotion of the social, cultural and environmental values of landscape is of outmost importance to the profession, as the “condition for the landscape architecture community to thrive in a society lies in an understanding of the work we do.”

Diversity of contemporary landscape architecture

With the selection of this year’s award winners, the jury not only highlighted the diversity of contemporary landscape architecture, but rewarded the willingness to push the limits of the profession through process-based and flexible approaches, the exploration of new aesthetics and typologies, and a strong focus on the human aspect of our work.

Sidste punkt på programmet var Ellipsehaverne hos Kjeld Slot. Endnu en spændende have, der adskiller sig markant fra de to øvrige og nok alligevel ligger et sted midt imellem. Det er en meget arkitekttonisk og egentlig enkel have – i hver fald i sin grundform med en lang akse, der brydes af ellipser i forskellige størrelse og med forskellig indhold. Indholdet varierer, så der både er spændende staudesammensætninger, køkkenhaver og arkitektoniske virkemidler.

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