A Mooloolah-based landscape business has received national recognition with a substantial win at the inaugural Husqvarna Champion of Champions, Australian Landscaper of the Year awards. Following on from their Queensland state award win late last year, the Harmony Landscapes team took out the top gong at the national awards night held in Brisbane last month.
The winning project by the six-member team was the Immanuel Lutheran College playground redesign. Winning the commercial construction category ($500,000- $1 M) the family operated business reimagined, designed and delivered a multi-faceted nature play inspired space that had the national judges commending the Harmony Landscapes team for their “landscape construction excellence.”
Business owner Emarys Pratt said the win was an unexpected honour, and he credited the vision, hard work and dedication of his team for achieving at both a state and national level for the project. He said it involved a bespoke, highly complex and technical design that required a high level of planning and logistics, and he was thrilled with the award.
“It was a privilege to be recognised for this project and although challenging to construct, it was wonderful to be able to create a fun-filled nature inspired space for children to enjoy for years to come,” Emarys said.
In describing the project, Emarys said the design featured sandstone blocks, natural timber logs and a watercourse, along with a large play tower and additional rope tunnels, bridges, nets and balance ropes. He said the project demonstrated the need for a high level of integration, with the playground incorporating numerous aspects and features such as in-ground water storage tanks and other filtration devices that required both custom designed elements and demanded a great deal of attention to detail.
Judges praised the project as a “very deserving winner” and acknowledged the design challenges, as well as the high level of planning, problem solving, and execution required to deliver the successful outcome.
“Safety, accessibility and inclusion issues were considered, and the contractor has achieved design intent with their construction resulting in a truly amazing outcome loved by the broader school community,” said the judges comment online.