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Emergent Studios

@emergent_studios_design

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We're happy to announce our studio recieved recognition this week at the 2026 Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards Victorian Chapter @aila.victoria for our role within the development of the Paddock Eco Village, recieving both the Urban Design Award of Excellence and Climate Psitive Design Award.

Led by the vision of Eco-Campaingner clients Heather Barrett and the late Neil Barrett, the project is a vibrant example of what can be achieved within an uncompromising sustainable development framework, demonstrating how regenerative and productive landscapes foster community connection, wellbeing and environmental health.

The development was delivered in collaboration with @crosbyarchitects on Dja Dja Wurrung Country (Djandak). Studio project team: Matthew Hamilton and Niki Schwabe.
Image credit @johngollings. by @emergent_studios_design

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a month ago

We're proud to be among the impressive practices nominated as winners of the @archdaily 2026 Next Practices Awards, 'recognizing 20 emerging and forward-thinking practices expanding the possibilities of architecture today.'

This recognition is a credit to our incredible team and collaborators, the many people who shape a landscape over time, from planning and desicion making through to design, construction and practices of care.

Image credit: Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, Yorta Yorta Country; First Nations led, clients and collaborators including: @munarra.ltd, @rumbalarafnc, @kaielaarts @kaielainstitute; Architecture: @armarchitecture; project funded by State of Victoria and delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet First Peoples State Relations; photography @peterbbennetts

#archdailynextpractices #landscapearchitecture by @emergent_studios_design

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Join us at Walsh Street with @emergent_studios_design Emergent Studios, Director, Matthew Hamilton, to discover the landscape of The Paddock Eco Estate – a contemporary cluster housing project of 27 residential lots with an environmentally responsive and productive landscape located just under a kilometre from central Castlemaine. ⁠
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Talk: Emergent Studios, The Paddock Eco Estate⁠
Saturday 21 March, 2.00 pm⁠
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Tickets > via the link in bio > include access to the talk, plus admission to the 'Loose Leaf' exhibition. ⁠
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'Loose Leaf' is a collaboration between Tract @tractconsultants and the Robin Boyd Foundation with supporting partners Brickworks Building Products @brickworksbp. ⁠
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Image: The Paddock, Eco Village, Crosby Architects with Emergent Studios. Photographed by John Gollings.⁠
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#robinboyd #designmatters #landscapematters #looseleaf #tract #merchantbuilders⁠ by @emergent_studios_design

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8 months ago

We’re happy to share that Emergent Studios received recognition at the AILA 2025 National Awards in Hobart/Nipaluna this week.
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The Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence received the National Regional Achievement Award; jury citation excerpt:
'The successes of this project includes the built outcome and the process through which it was achieved. Designed with community and built by First nations-owned businesses, this project sets a new standard for future community projects.'

A big congratulations to all who make this project what it is, including the local Yorta Yorta community and Elders and cultural collaborators including Munarra Limited, @rumbalarafnc @kaielainstitute , First Nations Artists @kaielaarts @yortayortadorta and the stellar broader project team: Planning design and construction architects @armarchitecture Engineers @wsp_australia Project Managers @fonticgroup, Artist Engagement @spacecraftmelb Head Contractors TVN on Country and Landscape Contractors Michael Hatton Landscapes.
Funded by the State of Victoria and delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, First Peoples State Relations in partnership with the Department of Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and financial contribution from University of Melbourne.
Photography: @peterbbennetts

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Hedge and Arbour House received the National Landscape Architecture Award for Gardens; the jury citation excerpt:
'Born from a close collaboration between architect, landscape architect and client, this project offers a contextual response where living requirements are interwoven with a commitment to ecological regeneration.'

Congratulations to architects and collaborators @studio__bright and our client who’s vision and commitment continue to shape this garden and its regeneration.

Photography: @arorygardiner

Many thanks to the AILA team @aila_national @aila.victoria and the 2025 National Jury members for their valuable contribution: Kate Luckraft (Chair), Dr Simon Kilbane, Dr Daniele Hromek, Watkin MkLennan, Anne-Marie Pisani, Candy Rosmarin, and Travis Wright. by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Topography and Surface as Play

The vertical school model is an emerging campus typology locally, as population growth increases in inner-city areas.

Forming a new second campus for North Melbourne Primary School, the Molesworth Street site is among Melbourne’s first vertical primary schools. Designed for 525 students and incorporating a 66-place kindergarten, the school features three separate levels of integrated outdoor space.

Many local children live in apartments, and the school grounds play an integral role in providing space for outdoor recreation and play. Emergent Studios worked with lead consultants ARM, to masterplan the tight, steeply graded site to make the most of the available space, seeking to establish a diversity of programs and optimised conditions and access, including sunlight throughout the seasons, continuous universally accessible connections and expanded play value through forming playable topographical transitions and elements.

At each level, surface and topography integrate opportunities for play and interaction, planters and digging pits are mounded into soft, climbable forms, while ground markings provide cues for setting up outdoor education, moveable elements and informal games.

North Melbourne Primary School is located on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation.

Architecture: @armarchitecture
Photography Images 1-4 @johngollings
Photography Image 5 @emergent_studios_design
Landscape Construction @landscapeplus.vic by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Living the dream... this certified Living Building Challenge (LBC) project integrates twenty-seven sustainable residential lots within an environmentally responsive and productive landscape, located under a kilometre from the town centre of Castlemaine.

Shaped by an ambitious objective of achieving best-practice in socially and environmentally sustainable housing, our team worked in close collaboration with Crosby Architects @crosbyarchitects and our visionary clients in devloping a landscape that responded to site conditions strategically to address multi-layered sustainability targets.

The landscape-driven design approach responds to the site’s topographic condition, watershed, local vegetation, tree amenity and solar access - combined with analysis of the site’s broader catchment - shaping the landscape design response ecologically and socially in optimising functional use, productive capacity and environmental value.

Photography @johngollings by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Winner: 2025 AILA VIC Regional Achievement Award

Entrant: Emergent Studios (Bush Projects) @emergent_studios_design
Client: First People’s State Relations, Department Premier and Cabinet; End Client: Munarra Limited
Architect ARM Architecture @armarchitecture
Photographer: Peter Bennetts @peterbbennetts

Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence resides on lands of the Kaielthban of the Yorta Yorta.

Jury Citation:
"The Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence (MCRE) is a First Nations-led project. It weaves together education and sport into a meaningful place that supports community empowerment. The design of the landscape reaches out from the spaces and functions of the building, connecting them to Country and providing a diversity of experiences. The Centre offers a platform for cultural engagement and economic empowerment for the wider Shepparton region."

The award represents a significant achievement for the community and is a testimony to their collective strength and determination. We express our immense gratitude to all those who we had the honour of working with throughout the development and realisation of the project, including the local participating community members and Yorta Yorta community elders, @rumbalarafnc as well as the broader consultant team.

The project was funded by the State of Victoria and delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, First Peoples State Relations, in partnership with the Department of Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), and supported by a financial contribution from the University of Melbourne.

The consultant team included ARM Architecture, Spacecraft @spacecraftmelb, Kaiela Arts, Codus, MGAC, PLP Building Surveyors & Consultants, Spiire, Vivid Wayfinding, WSP, and 21-19 Pty Ltd.
The Centre was built by Indigenous-owned company TVN On-Country, landscape by Michael Hatton Landscapes.

Special thanks to @aila.victoria and this year’s VIC/TAS and Jury for their time and valuable contributions: Dr Bridget Keane (Chair), Henry Crothers, Joanna Bush, Matthew Mackay, Shay McMahon, Prue Slatyer, Paul Thompson, Fiona Chen (Observer). by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Winner: 2025 AILA VIC Landscape Architecture Award for Health and Education Landscapes

Entrant: Emergent Studios (Bush Projects) @emergent_studios_design
Client: First People’s State Relations, Department Premier and Cabinet; End Client: Munarra Limited
Architect ARM Architecture @armarchitecture
Photographer: Peter Bennetts @peterbbennetts
Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence resides on lands of the Kaielthban of the Yorta Yorta.

Jury Citation:
“The Munarra Centre showcases and celebrates Yorta Yorta culture. The outdoor spaces support gathering, learning, performing, cooking and creating. Together, they weave into the surrounding landscape and link to the adjacent sporting precinct. The motif of local river morphology was inspired by Yorta Yorta artists and binds the spaces together. The jury commended the participatory engagement process shown through the design — which has resulted in a proud landscape of social connection, education, and cultural expression.”

The award represents a significant achievement for the community and is a testimony to their collective strength and determination. We express our gratitude to all those who we had the honour of working with in the development and realisation of the project, including the local community members and Yorta Yorta community elders, @rumbalarafnc and consultant team. The project was funded by the State of Victoria and delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, First Peoples State Relations, in partnership with the Department of Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), and supported by a financial contribution from the University of Melbourne.

The consultant team included ARM Architecture, Spacecraft @spacecraftmelb , Kaiela Art,, MGAC, PLP Building Surveyors & Consultants, Spiire, Vivid Wayfinding, WSP.

Built by Indigenous-owned company TVN On-Country landscape by Michael Hatton Landscapes.

With thanks to this year’s VIC/TAS @aila.victoria Jury for their time andcontributions: Dr Bridget Keane (Chair), Henry Crothers, Joanna Bush, Matthew Mackay, Shay McMahon, Prue Slatyer, Paul Thompson, Fiona Chen (Observer) and National Partner CHRISTIE for supporting the award. by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Winner: 2025 AILA VIC Award of Excellence for Research, Policy and Communications

Project: Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070
Entrants: National Gallery of Victoria (curator); ASPECT Studios, Emergent Studios (Bush Projects), McGregor Coxall, OFFICE, Openwork, REALMstudios, SBLA and TCL @emergent_studios_design @aspectstudios, @mcgregorcoxall
@___office @ _openwork @realmstudios_ @sblastudio @tcl_studio

Emergent Studios Collaborators:
Dr Alice Lewis, RMIT @alice_l__ @rmit_la
Dr Zoltan Sylvester @zzsylvester, Laurence McDonald @laurencejamesphotography

Client: National Gallery of Victoria @ngvmelbourne
Country: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung

Citation:
“‘Reimagining Birrarung’ demonstrates the role of landscape architects in contributing to civic discourse. How? By recognising and responding to the central role of the Birrarung as a living entity that shapes the city. The exhibition invited the public into a plurality of ideas across a range of practices. The collective work argues for the value of design, of speculation and of rethinking our relationships to Country. This project embodies a deeply considered approach, where Indigenous knowledge and process are seamlessly woven into a landscaped experience. It shifts perception, allowing one to understand Country in a deeper, more intuitive way. What makes it particularly compelling as a set of visions is its delicate balance. This project is an exploration of the nuanced relationship between culture, Country and land — revealing the intricate layers that shape the place and its meaning.”

A big congratulations to our colaborators and the collective practices involved, special thanks @kirsten.b_landscape_architect and to the NGV @ngvmelbourne for their vision and support and the Birrarung Council and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Elders for their engagement.

Thank you also to this year’s VIC/TAS Jury for their time and valuable contributions: Dr Bridget Keane, Henry Crothers, Joanna Bush, Matthew Mackay, Shay McMahon, Prue Slatyer, Paul Thompson, Fiona Chen and to VIC Awards Partner The University of Melbourne for supporting the Research, Policy and Communications Category @msdsocial @unimelb by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Winner of the 2025 AILA VIC Award of Excellence for Gardens

Project: Hedge House - Domestic Ecologies

Entrant: Emergent Studios @emergent_studios_design
Country: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung

Architecture: @studio__bright
Photography: @arorygardiner
Landscape Construction: @lucidalandscapes

Much gratitude to @aila.victoria for organising and hosting the event, to collaborators @studio__bright and to our clients, for their exceptional commitment and stewardship, and to Western Plains Flora for all the hard work and dedication that goes into indigenous plant seed collection and propagation.

Jury Citation:
“Hedge House is a triumph of regeneration, biodiversity and habitat creation. The project contributes to the long-term occupation and ecological restoration of a suburban site, while connecting to its broader landscape.

Spatially, the design dissolves boundaries between inside and outside. It creates an immersive and evolving landscape as a place of occupation, observation, learning, participation and environmental stewardship.

The design approach embraces continuous evolution through experimentation and iteration. The result prioritises restoration, succession, habitat value and diversity.

This garden advocates for engagement with the local environment and highlights its potential to enrich everyday life. Simultaneously considered, exuberant and wild, it is a model of domestic design, ecology and sustainability. This project will help inform future approaches to our suburban gardens and landscapes.”

Special thanks to this year’s VIC/TAS Jury for their time and valuable contributions: Dr Bridget Keane (Chair), Henry Crothers, Joanna Bush, Matthew Mackay, Shay McMahon, Prue Slatyer, Paul Thompson, Fiona Chen (Observer) and to Lawn Solutions Australia for supporting the Gardens Category @lawnsolutions by @emergent_studios_design

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a year ago

Domestic ecologies: in the garden of Vivarium a native meadow of indigenous grasses and wildflowers grows long to flower and set seed. Later, areas can be mown to create space for chairs and outdoor use.

Architecture: @architecture_architecture
Photography: @tomross.xyz by @emergent_studios_design

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2 years ago

Domestic ecologies: the garden of Hedge House extends the bushland of a neighbouring reserve into the private garden, incorporating biodiverse vegetation local to the site, habitat logs and rocks and ephemeral water sources.

Working collaboratively with a client who actively volunteers in landscape management of the reserve, the garden contributes to the ecological restoration of the parklands.

Architecture: @studio__bright
Photography: @arorygardiner by @emergent_studios_design

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2 years ago