Churchman Landscape
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Churchman Landscape
Architects
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Churchman Landscape
Architects
The new gardens will become places in
which to study but also for students to
meet friends and colleagues
of the plantsman’s palette. The
best known is David Douglas
who introduced the Douglas Fir,
others included Archibald Menzies,
Robert Fortune David Lyall and
George Sherriff. The courtyards
will celebrate the exploits of
these intrepid plant hunters who
risked life and limb to bring new
specimens back to these shores.
Much of the diverse planting
palette used at GCU consists
either of the original species
introduced by the plant hunters or
contemporary hybrids, criteria that
proved challenging for Churchman,
for nurserymen J A Jones, and
Perth based rhododendron
specialist Ken Cox, himself a
modern day Plant Hunter.
The courtyards have a layout
dominated by fluid curvaceous
shapes, contrasting with the
highly structured forms of the
surrounding buildings. The aim has
been to create spaces that have a
soft style, an aesthetic which we
refer to as “urban lounge”. Winding
pathways run around grassy
whaleback shaped earthworks.
Set into the sides of the mounds
are timber pod seating and tables
which provide work stations for
study. These are spaces to learn in
and to learn from, offering positive
space at the core of the campus.
Landscape & Urban Design
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