The University of Otago Plaza at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin has featured in the latest New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Awards.
Architectural and design firm Jasmax won an Award of Excellence at the institute's annual Resene Pride of Place Awards, announced recently in Auckland, for design work on the plaza area.
The award in the commercial-industrial-institutional design category recognises best practice and quality landscape architecture works in New Zealand.
Judging criteria include sensitivity to the cultural and natural context, as well as design clarity and creativity.
Renee Davis, the institute lead judge, design, said the plaza space provided many functional social areas for use by university students and a ''high quality space'' had been developed.
The landscape design had provided a ''cohesive solution'' to challenges arising from the site, including providing shelter from prevailing harbour winds.
Mike Thomas, of Auckland, a senior landscape architect at Jasmax, said the firm had aimed to ''transform the windswept and road-dominated thoroughfare space'' into a sheltered place where users of the Unipol building and nearby stadium could relax.
Maintaining a connection with the nearby Water of Leith had been a key focus and most materials used were sourced locally, he said.
The Baxter Design Group was the only other winner from the Otago region in the awards, also receiving an Award of Excellence in the commercial-industrial-institutional design category for its work at Remarkables Primary School in Queenstown.
Paddy Baxter, of Baxter Design Group, had incorporated open playing space with smaller spaces suitable for group play and outside learning, institute officials said.
Judges said the school design had ''paid homage to the landscape while adding significantly to the environment of learning''.
