Landscape Institute Awards 2019 logo

Another fantastic occasion with over 550 people in attendance at the awards ceremony held at The Troxy in London – this year Hardscape was extremely proud once again to be the Headline Sponsor of such a prestigious event in the Landscape calendar!

Announced on Thursday 28 November, the winning projects showcased a range of crucial interventions: better managing water resources, using natural methods to mitigate hurricane damage, reclaiming streets and green spaces, improving air quality, connecting communities, and restoring habitats.

‘The LI Awards celebrate the contribution the landscape profession makes to all our lives,’ said LI President Adam White. ‘The standard continues to grow with over 180 entries this year, and we’re delighted to see the impact projects are having on people, communities and the wider landscape. Hardscape has been supporting the Landscape Institute Awards for over 13 years and as Headline Sponsors the event gave us the opportunity to celebrate the successes of all those involved. It was great to see everyone come together to make it such a memorable event. Every year, the LI applauds those working on the most innovative projects, in recognition of outstanding work, which has shaped, restored and protected the natural and built environment.

Guest of honour Sir David Attenborough, who received the LI Medal for Lifetime Achievement at the Awards, spoke about the importance of reconnecting communities with nature, and the part this can play in ensuring the natural world’s protection.

‘You have a great responsibility to bring the realities of the natural world to the understanding and the love of human beings worldwide,’ Sir David told attendees.

Mathew Haslam, CEO of Hardscape, gave an inspiring speech commenting:

From over 180 entries in total this year, including 40 from international entrants – a record-breaking number – the winners highlighted an array of projects that focused on landscape design, community, sustainability and innovative thinking. The diversity of the projects showcased the efforts the profession makes to protect and develop the landscape.

Hardscape’s Specification Director, Dave Lowe presented winners’ LAY-OUT Planning Consultants for the Landscape Belt of Xianglu Bay in Zhuhai with the ‘Dame Sylvia Crowe Award for outstanding international contribution to People, Place and Nature’ category.

Optimised Environments of Edinburgh received special recognition for The Design for a Medium Scale Development Award. Hardscape collaborated with them in supply of granite paving, benches and internal Kilkenny Blue limestone paving also.

What’s Growing on the Greenway, by the Paul Hogarth Company’s Anthony McGuigan and Darren McKinstry, won both Communications and Presentation Award and the prestigious LI President’s Award. Hardscape were so proud to supply granite paving along the Connswater Greenway.

Award-winning garden designer and popular television presenter Arit Anderson was the main presenter for this year’s Awards ceremony whilst Natural England Chief Executive Marian Spain was keynote speaker. Rainer Stange, President of the the Norwegian Landscape Architects Association, joined the proceedings to share findings from the IFLA World Congress 2019.

Dan Cook, Landscape Institute CEO said: “As an organisation we are committed to reducing our carbon and ecological footprint, deliver against the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to supporting our members to do the same. This year we have taken steps to make our LI Awards more sustainable, including prioritising vegetarian meal options and committing to offsetting our event impacts through tree planting, by supporting a specific new project in Luton.

“For 2020 we will include an even greater emphasis on climate and biodiversity, with specific new award categories and new criteria for all awards that show how this profession’s work directly benefits people, place and nature.”

Adam White, President of the Landscape Institute said: “The Landscape Institute Awards celebrate the contribution the landscape profession makes to all our lives. The standard continues to grow with over 180 entries this year, and we are delighted to see the impact projects are having on people, communities and the wider landscape.

The Landscape Institute Awards celebrate the value of landscape practice in connecting people, place and nature by demonstrating excellence, innovation and creativity in the natural and built environment – let’s look forward to an even more amazing Awards in 2020!

See the full list and details of the winning schemes here