Aoraki Mount Cook Village - Enduring Landscape Award

Aoraki Mount Cook Village is a unique touristic village and awe-inspiring landscape that has stood the test of time. It is a significant environment for Ngāi Tahu, with Aoraki representing tupuna from which the iwi descends.

The small village provides accommodation for key staff, rangers, and visitors. It is situated in the heart of a National Park, adjacent to the sparkling waters of Lake Pukaki. It's mountainous and highly seasonal climate is subject to great changes in temperature, snowfall and commanding weather events. The landscape design for the village need to be strong enough to withhold these impeding yearly events, and retain its planting and vegetation, alongside its alpine character, charm and communities.

Landscape architects played a significant role in determining the outcomes and legacy this landscape planning demonstrates. There were a number of visionary considerations that have been carefully developed to ensure the built environment is subservient and yet complementary to its natural surrounds. Strategic earth mounding ensures that buildings are embedded into the landscape thereby reducing visual impact and supporting high levels of shelter and privacy.

Lyrical connectivity is shown through links, pathways and key routes which promotes the pedestrian experience of place. Carefully selected plants and diligently placed rocks, frame and form the introduced landscape in a way that meets natural landscapes of the areas with sensitivity.

This enduring landscape has proven its resilience and continues to offer an intrinsic alpine approach to landscape architecture, while representing exceptional and pragmatic design that keenly responds to its context time and time again.

The Enduring Landscape Award was awarded to Chris Glasson, Glasson Huxtable Landscape Architects, in recognition of the many who have planned, designed and managed the Village and the Aoraki Mt Cook World Heritage Site to achieve an enduring landscape (various works constructed from 1980 - 2005). Chris's work was instrumental in sensitively integrating the built form into the village and restoring and enhancing the landscape in this UNESCO World heritage landscape which has national and international recognition as a prime national park and visitor destination