Please, tell us about yourself. What drew you to landscape architecture? And academia?
My father was German born in Palestine – my mother in Manly, Sydney. The British arrested the Germans in 1942 and sent them to Australia – they had started what is now the city of Tel Aviv.
They were put in a camp for seven years in Victoria and when they got out they became farmers on the Hawkesbury and in the Blue Mountains – so for my formative years I had family in the west and on the coast.
This was a strong landscape experience on both fronts.
Do you miss Australia? Differences between landscape architecture in Australia and the US?
I’ve lived away from Australia before and never miss it. I’m too deeply engaged with what I’m doing at any given moment to be homesick or nostalgic.
The differences are not great in practice but academia is very different. Many say Penn is the best school in the world (some would say Harvard) and so it’s a great experience to be leading such a school.
How do you see the future of landscape architecture? How will technology make an impact?
Technology will make an impact, as it always does, but it’s often just more data telling us what we already know … I see a lot of younger designers cheerleading for it as if an app will fix all our problems. The world is too complex for that and a good designer with a good brain is always way ahead of technology.
In your view, what is the role of street furniture in the public realm?
Laurie Olin always says the most important thing is to find a good place to sit down. I guess we can add to that a place to throw your rubbish, power up your phone, have a nap and socialise.
Street furniture is important because our cities are becoming more dense and the street is the new backyard. Much design I see is increasingly about people lounging in public space, not just waiting for the bus.
Why did you decide to take on the curatorship? What do you aim to achieve with the festival?
It was a nice creative challenge and I want to try and set up some conversations that will help the attendees chart their own career pathways as we move into increasingly complicated times.
Why should people attend the International Festival of Landscape Architecture?
It’s an historic occasion. It’s got great speakers across a range of all the issues that are essential to think about for anyone engaged in the future of the built environment and the broader landscape. It has exciting social events and fringe activities. And everyone wants to try and get into something that is SOLD OUT!
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Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
With so much to see at the 2016 International Festival of Landscape Architecture, here are our recommendations for a street furniture experience. 1. Flower Chairs Designed by former UNSW student Joshua Flowers, three Flower Chair prototypes will feature on the lawn of the National Gallery of Australia during the conference. Venture out from Gandell Hall in session breaks to test this variation on the movable seat: chairs that swivel to your preferred viewpoint. With a design originally inspired by Google office furniture, the seat aims to give people a reason to stop and become involved in public space. WIN $200 worth of flowers from Interflora for someone you love. Post a selfie with a Flower Chair to facebook.com/streetfurniture for your chance to win. Winner will be announced shortly after the festival. Read more on …
***** Click here for final results of #BackyardExperiment ***** #BackyardExperiment is our most ambitious research project yet. Collaborating with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Street Furniture Australia will attempt to activate Garema Place in Canberra through a pop-up park and 60 movable seats. Garema Place was a cosmopolitan hotspot in the sixties and seventies, but has since become a deserted thoroughfare. The open space is largely concrete and underused, however, it is surrounded by great cafes, shops and workplaces. Over a ten-day period, time-lapse cameras will observe how people interact with the park and furniture elements. The first two days will examine no activation, the next four days will observe activities with park and furniture elements only, and the final four days will discover what happens with full activation, which includes …
Crisp apple cider, served via an Arqua Fountain, equals good nights ahead at the International Festival of Landscape Architecture. Street Furniture Australia’s production team have been working on the Batlow Cider Fountain to tour to Canberra this October. Production Manager Christopher Morgan took time from his busy schedule for the serious task of fountain testing, with a keg supplied by Batlow Cider. “It is safe to say our cider has never been served through drinking fountains before,” says Batlow’s Rich Coombes. “We are excited to partner with Street Furniture Australia to bring good times and great cider to the festival.” At our Regents Park factory, Morgan and his team are challenged with delivering the bubbly liquid in a steady, controlled stream, while preserving the dignity of waiters and esteemed guests. (No sudden spurts.) “After experimenting with several valves …
