Award for iconic tourist attraction
One of the country’s most iconic tourist attractions has won the Enduring category at this year’s Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture awards.
Chris Glasson from Glasson Huxtable Ltd won the award for his work at Hanmer Springs for the Hurunui District Council.
Chris Glasson with his award.
The national tourist destination and holiday resort houses the South Island’s most significant thermal pools and are the largest revenue earner for the Hurunui District Council, receiving 700 thousand visitors each year.
In awarding the prize, the judges said “Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools is an iconic designed landscape. Interweaving the original formal hot pools with a more naturalistic design in the 1990s, the Thermal Pools have retained their signature character through the continued expansion of the complex.”
They say Hanmer Springs resonates “with the surrounding landscape, the pools’ design has a strong sense of place, with reference to natural and cultural scenic elements.”
You can see more about the project here.
Chris Glasson receives his award from (L-R) NZILA President Brad Coombs, Frank Boffa and Dr Jacky Bowring last Friday night in Christchurch.
The judges believe the careful attention to the selection of planting has not only ensured that it authentically echoes the surrounding context, but also that it continues to look good, year after year.
You can hear more from the judges in the video below.
