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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
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Text by
Justin Foote
We speak with Garth Falconer, Ralph Johns
and Philip Smith — the authors of three
notable, but very different, books that were
published last year. From initial motivation to
lessons learned, the three men share
their opinions and insights.
IN 2015, THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROFESSION
was graced with not one but three books, which
dared to expose this oftsecretive realm to the wider
world. Well received by the industry and critics alike,
these volumes have brought their authors national
fame, if not fortune; and have served, each in its own
way, to validate and memorialise the history – and,
yes, in some instances to mourn lost opportunities –
of our built environment.
Justin Foote sat down with the authors to get an
insight into the process of bringing these books
to life and to see, one year on, whether time has
brought additional wisdom.
JF: Gentlemen, your books take vastly different
approaches to looking at our landscaped surroundings, why did you feel that your particular book was
important to do?
Philip Smith: For me, it was important to write
Vernacular to advocate for the appreciation of different cultural layers within the making of landscapes.
Especially in Auckland, I feel that there has been a
tendency in recent decades towards wiping the slate
clean, ra