Planning Institute of Australia Awards of Excellence 2009

WAX Design recently received a number of awards including the Minster’s Award of Excellence at the PIA (SA) Awards Night. These awards recognise the company’s continued commitment to urban planning and design through collaboration, imagination and the pursuit of excellence.

Minister’s Award

The Rundle Project: The Rundle Street Integrated Public Arts Masterplan

The Minister’s Award is given to the overall winner of the South Australian Awards for Planning Excellence. This Award is judged by the South Australian Minister for Urban Development and Planning.

"The Rundle Project’s success in winning this year’s Minister’s Award is due to the collaborative approach brought to developing this Masterplan. It is also reflects the importance of using planning to deal not only with land-use issues and implications, but also to develop an urban design framework that encourages interesting places that stimulate thinking, invite interaction and provide for contemplation. Fostering better urban design will be one of the key outcomes of the State Government’s 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, so it is not only fitting but timely that the Rundle Project should be the recipient of this year’s Minister’s Award." (citation)

Award of Excellence Urban Design - Plans and Ideas
The Rundle Project: The Rundle Street Integrated Public Arts Masterplan

WAX Design in partnership with Tanya Court, Special Projects Under Development (SPUD) and Naomi Horridge.

“The jurors recommend an Award for this innovative project, which demonstrates a thorough understanding of the place of art in the urban design of public places. The project client was Adelaide City Council who should be commended for commissioning the work and encouraged to continue this commitment to urban design. The project adds considerable value to the body of knowledge of the cultural aspects of urban design in the city. The manner in which the document is presented is suitably reflective of guidelines created for public art along a linear corridor and sets a high standard and innovative mode of communication of this planning matter.” (juror's citation)

Award of Excellence Urban Design - Plans and Ideas
Port Vincent Urban Design Framework

This project was led by WAX Design in partnership with JPE; Suter Planners; Shane Foley and Associates.

“The jurors recommend an Award for this excellent framework for the future development of the coastal township of Port Vincent. The project documentation displays a very high level of urban design analysis, creative ideas development, excellent presentation and a thorough engagement of the community. The framework provides flexibility for effective decision making about future projects without being too proscriptive, but provides some photomontages of the potential. The document displays a very high standard of illustration with excellent graphics, which communicate the potential for urban design excellence in the town." (juror's citation)

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Awards of Excellence 2009

WAX Design was recently recognised for its collaborative and innovative approach to landscape architecture and urban design at the AILA (SA) Awards Night 2009.

Landscape Architecture Award for Planning

“The project demonstrates an innovative approach to planning for public art in the urban landscape. Using public art typologies and many techniques from the urban design framework process, such as responding to the social and urban context of the street, this document demonstrates a structure for future public art proposals. The collaborative team of landscape architects and artists creatively responded to the brief, and this approach is reflected in the design of the document that challenges conventional ways of representing information.” (jurors citation)

LASA vist to Jacobs Creek Visitors Centre

The Landscape Association of South Australia recently hosted the National Landscape Conference here in Adelaide. As part of the event, the delegates went on a tour of the Barossa Valley and and stopped Jacobs Creek Visitors Centre for lunch, as it was an opportunity to show case a recent LASA award winning project.
WAX felt privileged to be able to discuss the project with the delegates and open up a dialogue regarding their view points on the use of native plants in a contemporary setting, the value of biodiversity and sustainability, and of course, enjoy a glass of the local wine!

Graffiti of the Loop

During the opening night of the Bowerbird Bazaar at the Queens theatre, WAX engaged aerosol artist 'Aka the Store' to tag one of the Loop seats. Guests arriving at the event were greeted with the evolving art, and the Loop was transformed into an amazing canvas of colour and shape. WAX would like to thank Bullseye Creative and DaKlinic for their support and assistance in bringing this event together.

Bowerbird Baazar

WAX Design has been invited to be a part of the inaugural Bowerbird Design here in Adelaide, show casing the award winning Loop Seat. We have engaged an aerosol artist 'Vans Omega' to paint a seat during the event.

Please see flyer below for details, an opportunity to see many talented local and interstate designers, artists, crafts people and more. Feel free to check out their website, http://www.bowerbirdbazaar.com.au/

SPASA Award

A recent WAX Design project at Kensington Park has picked up an award at the Pool and Spa Association of South Australian. The contemporary pool installed by Quantum Pools has recieved a Gold Medal for the under $50,000 geometric pool catergory.

Award of Excellence, Landscape Associaton of South Australia

WAX is proud to announce it has recently received an award for the landscape design at Jacobs Creek Visitors Centre. The Award of Excellence recognises the contemporary use of native plants, creating a sense of arrival to the centre and show casing the environmental view point that the company is adopting. The design is a focal point for the ongoing projects that Orlando Wines are instigating, as a result of the positive feed back this project has generated from the visitors, the employees and the community.

WAX's success in this project are also attributed to Greg Stirling from Orlando Wines and Bob Knott from Galwer and Barossa Landscape Services.

WAX featured in Poolside Showcase Magazine

See the current Poolside Showcase Magazine, May 2009 Edition 11 on pages 144-146 for a contemporary pool in Kensington Gardens which WAX designed in conjunction with Quantum Pools.

Swale Garden in Beaumont

The client has recently completed construction of a new Energy Architecture home and required an environmentally considerate garden to compliment the philosophy of the built form.

WAX has designed a garden of mass planted indigenous and native Australian plantings to increase biodiversity and reduce water consumption. A series of swales and detention basins have been constructed to redirect storm water and retain up to 90% of the ground water run off, lined with sedges and rushes which also assist in filtering any overflows before entering the water table.

A large productive area of raised vegetable gardens and fruit trees (watered by a grey water system) assists in their sustainability with waste reduction through a compost system.

The Rundle Project

WAX Design in collaboratrion with SPUD, Tanya Court and Naomi Horridge have been working with Adelaide City on an exciting new approach to the planning and implementation of public art within Rundle Street. The Rundle Project is based on the belief that the best artworks will emerge when artists and the artistic process is strongly supported Council.

The Rundle Project document in a graphic form delivers a typological public art framework for the street that clearly articulates a range of opportunities in both content, form and place. Six types of art are proposed each responding to the unique qualities of Rundle Street.

[1] Intervene (artisitcally changing the fabric of the Rundle Street)
[2] Engagement (performance and public interaction)
[3] Objects of Design (creation of high quality street furniture)
[4] Canvas (the Rundle Street as an outdoor gallery)
[5] Illuminate (innovative lighting response)
[6] Fusion (collaboration of artists and designer to create new outcomes)