DESIGNING A WINNING LANDSCAPE

A wise person once said that the grass is greener where you water it the most and for QUT Landscape Architecture student and Fortitude Valley resident Carla Ramsland that’s never been more true after she took home the top prize at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) annual Karl Langer awards.

Presented on Monday the 1st of April the AILA Karl Langer award recognises the industries rising stars from the final year QUT Landscape Architectural students. The AILA Queensland State President Andrea Ryan said that for the past 40 years the annual awards have been the pinnacle for graduating students.

“As far as awards go, the AILA Queensland Karl Langer student award is one of the most 'prestigious' design industry-based awards open to QUT students and its appeal is strengthened by the fact that it rewards both academic and practical achievement,” said Andrea.

This year’s winner, 29 year old Carla Ramsland, won the coveted award from a pool of eight finalists who were initially nominated by their lecturers for their high academic performance and were then assessed by a panel of AILA judges on a presentation of a folio of their work.

For Carla, the award is a fitting reward for the years she has spent developing her craft studying Horticulture and Landscape Design at NSI TAFE Ryde Horticultural College and working as a landscape labourer before studying Landscape Architecture at QUT.

“This is a prestigious award and a lot of the previous winners are people within the industry that I really admire, so it’s a bit surreal to now be a recipient and to be put in the same category as them,” Carla said.

“The award also acknowledges the finalists contribution to the industry so it was confirmation that my philosophy and my university work was directly transferable to practice in the real world.

The future looks sunny for Carla who has already secured a graduate position within the Gold Coast office of the internationally recognised firm, PLACE Design Group.

“The calibre of work from this year’s finalists was impressive to say the least, we’re confident that the future of Queensland’s Landscape Architecture profession is in safe hands,” said Andrea.

About AILA

AILA is the peak national organisation representing and harnessing the collective interests of the Australian Landscape Architecture professions and oversees the professional recognition of Registered Landscape Architects.

Visit: www.aila.org.au

(Image: The finalists with Carla Ramsland second from the left)