Fourth-year Queensland University of Technology (QUT) landscape architecture student Chris Hodgson was awarded the prized Karl Langer Award in Brisbane on 21 March 2013. Bestowed by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), the Karl Langer Award is recognized as identifying top new industry talent.
Hodgson’s winning concept, “Man versus Monster”, highlights the importance of tackling the currently turbulent environment through clever design. “Man versus Monster is about how we can’t continue to be frightened by climate change and we need to figure out ways to adapt and embrace what we are working with,” explains Hodgson.
“Cracking the concrete” is just one of Hodgson’s proposed ideas where by literally cracking the concrete and allowing vegetation to grow, a process of change can begin where humans and nature evolve together, leading to a resilient and adaptable space. Hodgson says there is an opportunity to make people excited about change, especially change which integrates landscape’s changing processes. “As humans, we find it difficult to accept change as something positive, but our job as landscape architects is to show people that finding ways of designing with our natural environment in mind is not as scary as they thought – it’s something to get excited about,” he said.
Hodgson won the prestigious award from a pool of seven finalists, each of which were nominated by their lecturers for high academic performance and then assessed by a panel of AILA judges upon presenting a portfolio of their work. “Through the Karl Langer Award, AILA has provided me with a platform to get the message out that changing the way we approach design to work with our natural environment is a positive and exciting concept,” said Hodgson.
