The Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers (AILDM) met last Friday evening to celebrate its annual design awards night. Held at the stunning Simmer on the Bay, new and current members mingled over champagne and canapés and discussed the topic of the night, landscape design. The room was beautifully decorated courtesy of Alpine Nurseries who adorned the gorgeous heritage dock warehouse with fresh turf, trees and plants, whilst shadows of branches were cast onto the walls. A glass back wall revealed a phenomenal view of Walsh Bay, which truly set the scene for this prestigious occasion.
With anticipation and excitement vitalising the evening, it wasn’t long before we were called to the upper antechamber to seat ourselves and commence the formalities. The MC for the evening was the talented orator, Communications Manager from Yates, Judy Horton, who introduced all the speakers and awards for the night, and kept the atmosphere light and convivial. An address was made by the President of AILDM, Steve Warner, which began a theme for the night, the encouragement to share knowledge and expertise, to learn all you can, to be immersed in the industry and to help, encourage and guide younger emerging designers. Steve, an affable speaker, also evoked Allan Correy, the inspiring designer who is a founding member of AILDM and AILDM’s Patron.
Awards were then announced by the sponsors of the AILDM Awards night; Lump Studio, Gardens at Night, Alpine, Lappset, Elmich and Universal Magazines. The sponsors read out the winner from a golden envelope, while the recipient received the award and had their photo taken with the sponsor. This was followed by a slideshow of images of the winning landscapes and accompanied by comprehensive judges comments, read aloud by the award judges: Stuart Pittendrigh, Jennifer Stackhouse and Catherine Stewart.
At the end of the awards presentation, we were once again urged to meet and greet unfamiliar faces and utilise the opportunity to make meaningful connections with other industry professionals. The night ended on this note, with delicious food and drinks served and the constant buzz as everyone was brought together through their similar passion, interest and through a lovely, well-designed event.
2012 AILDM NATIONAL AWARDS
Residential under $50,000
Winner - Valley Garden Landscapes – Alex Haskey
Higher Commended - Outhouse Design – Steve Warner
Residential $50,000-$150,000
Winner - Impressions Landscape Design – Adam McDonald
Higher Commended - Landscape By Design – Darrell McLeod
Higher Commended - Diana Harden Landscape Design - Diana Harden
Residential $150,000 +
Winner - Rolling Stone Landscapes – Dean Herald
Higher Commended - Secret Gardens of Sydney – Matthew Cantwell and Adriano Carrideo
Commercial
Winner - Landmark Landscape Consultants–Stephen Whitteridge and Henry Chapple-Cox
Higher Commended - etch Architectural Solutions – Jennifer Stone
Plantscape Design
Winner - Diana Harden Landscape Design - Diana Harden
Higher Commended - Impressions Landscape Design – Adam McDonald
Environmental
Winner - Landscape By Design – Darrell McLeod
Landscape Management
Winner - Fiddlehead Landscape Designs – Sally Arnold
Allan Correy Award for Design Excellence
Winner – Rolling Stone Landscapes – Dean Herald
Written by Erina Starkey, Editorial and Marketing Coordinator, Universal Magazines.
