18 November 1994 Lincoln Students Outstanding at Design Contest

Landscape architecture students at Lincoln University have scooped the pool at a national competition, winning all but one of the medals on offer.

The students won gold and silver medals at the inaugural Ellerslie Flower Show for designs judged superior to entries from other students and landscape professionals around the country.

They also won gold, silver and two commendations in the show's design competition for students only.

Lincoln's academic co-ordinator for Landscape Architecture, Mike Barthelmeh, said the competition success was a real coup for Lincoln. It was particularly pleasing to see students compete so well against practicing professionals.

Doctorate student Jacky Bowring won her gold medal in the Visionary Garden Design section for a design entitled "The Fine Art of the Lawn, a garden for a minimalist."

Inspired partly by the need for light relief during a trip to the Chelsea Flower Show, the design comprises a lawn with a viewing tower, synchronised sunbathers in co-ordinated costumes, mowed strips and a grazing sheep. The sheep is tethered to a stake and produces a neat circle amid the lush grass.     

The judges described the winning entry as highly innovative and a leap beyond the common­ place.

The gold award is the latest in a series of design achievements for Ms Bowring, who featured on the cover of the American "Landscape Architecture" magazine in 1992 and last year designed the head office gardens for a major public company.

In the competition for students only, entrants were required to produce designs for a domestic garden on a site of not more than 1000sq m with a theme of "A New Zealand Garden for the 1990s."

Richard Denny won a gold award for a Christchurch garden designed to reflect the local climate and achieve a textured appearance. Features included a back-country style hut in the back garden and a sculpture in stainless steel used as a climbing frame for plants.

The judges said the design was rich with ideas but not overdone and used recognisably New Zealand elements.

Mike Barthelmeh said the standard of the entries from senior and postgraduate students was excellent.

"They've done well because they're motivated, they've got good basic design skills and they've pushed themselves to produce new ideas," he said.

Lincoln was the first New Zealand tertiary institution to offer landscape design courses. The School of Landscape Architecture was established more than 20 years ago and today has more than 100 students studying towards a four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

The Bachelor qualification is the only university-level degree in landscape design available in New Zealand and enables students to become an associate of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects by passing an oral examination after 2-3 years of professional practice.      

Mike Barthelmeh said there was a growing trend towards the use of design competitions, particularly for important design projects of public interest.

He said design competitions had benefits for both the profession and its clients.

"It's a win-win situation. Through competitions students are pushing themselves to the highest standards, while the public benefits from getting a much broader exposure to the range of design concepts."

Mike Barthelmeh, Academic co-ordinator, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.