Landscape architecture and urban design firm OCULUS have shared their support for the Yes23 campaign, which recently launched to encourage Australians to respond ‘yes’ in a referendum that seeks to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution.
Dean Parkin, Director From the Heart says the campaign offers “a chance to explain how a ‘yes’ vote at this year’s referendum will give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples a say in the laws and policies that directly impact their lives, and to deliver practical change.”
Oculus says their team have been exploring this significant conversation, with in-depth discussions about the Voice, the upcoming referendum and Uluru statement. They write: “OCULUS is committed to continuing this important conversation and we encourage you to join us.”
To learn more, with a free 15-minute online course, guide to talking points and volunteering opportunities, see Oculus’ article.
The referendum will be held between October and December in 2023.
Image: ‘Yes’ campaign logo and motif based on artwork by Birra Gubbi artist Lara Watson.
Ways to Save the Planet, One Lawn at a Time:
Walking barefoot across a lawn or chilling out at the park on a Sunday can be bliss. Though not everyone shares a love of lawns. Forbes writer Joan Michelsen introduces us to Pamela Conrad, founder of San Francisco landscape architecture firm Climate Positive Design, who sees lawns as spaces that waste water and require polluting chemical pesticides.
Conrad suggests we need to set up practices that decrease the negative environmental impacts of lawns in the public realm. In her podcast The Electric Ladies she says: “We do need a cultural shift in our way of living. Coming at it from a more climate positive approach. If we can start seeing choices and changes we can make that are positive for the environment, then maybe we can start replicating them and see a ripple effect in the transformation of our environments, our communities.”
Conrad and her team of landscape architects share ways to start making changes with lawns, examples include: “the use of techniques that reduce and reuse water, include plants that are native or indigenous to your native area, because they need less water and likely less fertiliser.”
To celebrate the unveiling of the Piatto Chair at our annual product launch party with AILA NSW in Sydney, Jazz at The Mint, clients were invited to enter this quirky contest. The competition called for teams to incorporate Piatto Chairs into an ‘Awkward Family Photo’ portrait, for a chance to win Piatto Chairs of their very own. Congratulations to the creative crew from Yerrabingin, who delivered the strongest awkward family vibes on the night. Highly commended goes to the entrants below, and the full photo gallery from the event is available for viewing. Please contact marketing@streetfurniture.com if you would like to request a high res file to print and frame for your best room.
Clients from Sydney, Adelaide, California and Texas joined Street Furniture Australia and AILA NSW to celebrate the unveiling of new products on March 14, 2024, with margaritas and live music. Jazz at The Mint is an annual product launch held at The Mint, an iconic site in the heart of the Sydney CBD. It is an elegant affair and a unique opportunity to connect with landscape architects and built environment professionals at a global scale. This year’s party featured the new Linea Planter System and upcoming Piatto Chair, a single-seater hybrid between cafe and robust public space furniture – available now for specifications. The gathering was opened by Uncle Allan Murray, representing the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, with speeches from: Ben Stockwin, AILA CEO, acknowledged the 10 year relationship with …
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. This tour is open to design specifiers such as landscape architects and architects, and place custodians including Councils, government agencies, developers and other place managers. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun …
Living a Healthy Life by Harvard University: Experts at Harvard University have released a collection of articles focusing on healthy living. The collection identifies and examines seven core precepts: ‘what we eat’, ‘how we move’, ‘what we feel’,‘how we rest’, ‘what we moderate’, ‘how we live longer’ and ‘how we find joy’. In one article they recommend to “spend time outdoors, it’ll improve your health.” This may be an obvious statement though we can easily forget this wisdom in our increasingly time-poor lives. Professor of nutrition and epidemiology Heather Eliassen says that some of the benefits include “improvements in sleep, blood pressure, cognitive function and physical activity, as well as reduced risks of chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.” Whether it’s a picnic in the …
Gardens and public spaces can be funny as well as beautiful: Patch Adams said, “Humor is the best antidote to all ills.” And I strongly agree. Life’s lighter with more laughs. Sydney Morning Herald’s Robin Powell writes about Canadian architect Claude Cormier’s exploration with humour in Toronto’s gardens and public spaces. Claude Cormier et Associes launched in Montreal in 1994, and now has international recognition for his exclusive works in public spaces. Cormier’s projects explore the history and ecology of a place, its contemporary context and sometimes add in a little funny element too. Powell writes, “Cormier believes that not just our parks but our streetscapes can do a better job of telling stories and bringing human relationships into public space, using colour, light and a sense of humour.” Powell …
In rapidly urbanising Seoul, the next battle is saving green spaces: “Korea is a country that does not value greenery,” professor of landscape architecture at Pusan National University, Hong Suk Hwan, told Bloomberg CityLab. It “only acknowledges the value of property.” Samgmi Cha writes about South Korean local, 34-year-old Baik SooHye inspiring the shift of devaluing green spaces in South Korea to saving these spaces. SooHye’s ‘Plant Kindergarten’ project encourages the protection of hundreds of plants that are often destroyed at construction sites across Seoul. Cha meets SooHye in her outdoor garden in western Seoul with the many plant species that she’s saved from these sites. The rescued plants are ‘adopted’ out to others who are also passionate about green spaces in Korea. SooHye says, “I see ‘Plant Kindergarten’ as my …
