Daniel Watt: Following a pathway into landscape architecture

Not many parents would venture to foretell the exact career paths that their adult children might take.

Knowing his son Daniel’s favourite subjects at Cashmere High School were Geography and Architectural Design did give dad Trevor Watt, a Principal at Athfield Architects in Christchurch, an inkling that a pathway into landscape architecture seemed likely.

Daniel himself wasn't sure what career he might pursue, but in retrospect sees his love of geography as a reason he decided to take up landscape architecture studies at Lincoln University.

Trevor agrees with Daniel's view that architecture and landscape architecture are not one and the same.

Trevor: "I'd say they're different but similar, with a large crossover between the two. At Athfields we have inherited Ian Athfield's outlook that context and the spaces between buildings matters as much as the buildings themselves and we have really positive relationships with landscape architecture firms".

"There is a convergence between projects I have worked on and what Daniel will be practising. I did admire seeing the evolved design process he followed for his Major Design project in 2024, with its overlays for instance of culture, tourism and placemaking.

“It was impressive and having been through similar studies I understand how the immense amount of effort and time that goes into student projects isn't always appreciated".

FINDING THE THINGS WE EXCEL AT

It turns out that designing for resilience and the multiple layers that this encapsulates is an area of research by design that Daniel excels at.

Aided by the use of Vectorworks software, Daniel brought an integrated landscape approach to the complex situation faced by Franz Josef township - described in a NZ Geographic article in 2021 as the "most endangered town" in Aotearoa New Zealand.

He tackled this as a final-year student on the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programme, and by year's end his mahi was recognised with the NZILA Vectorworks Landmark Student Scholarship. This was formally presented at the NZILA Canterbury Westland Branch 2025 AGM and Student Awards event held on 6 March (see more on that event below).

*A snippet from Daniel’s completed project.*

The multiple challenges Franz Josef township faces certainly require innovative and highly considered design solutions to fit within a sensitive ecological context. Four key challenges identified by Daniel were related to:

The highly geological setting of the township being built directly on top of the Alpine Fault (Earthquakes).
Being situated below a hill that, in the event of an earthquake, would likely see major landslides inundate the town (Landslides/ Rock Avalanche).
A constant threat of flooding from the Waiho River which runs adjacent to the town (Flood Risk).
Having an urban form that lacks a defined centre with current activity primarily oriented along State Highway 6 (Urban Design).

This unpacking was aided by a visit to the town, which was also a good excuse for a family holiday for Easter 2024. This was followed by a full desktop analysis back at Lincoln to look at the interaction between physical and cultural layers.

As the project - named Whakaora i Rū Whenua | Salvation from a Violent Land - progressed that interaction was further informed by Boffa Miskell landscape architect Mapihi Martin-Paul, whose input is gratefully acknowledged by Daniel.

Likewise Mapihi appreciated Daniel's critical thinking and the way "he stayed staunch on acknowledging Te Ao Māori - both great skills to have to take out into the real world".

"As well as our kōrero about the importance of partnership with local mana whenua, Daniel did a lot of research into the cultural and contemporary history of Kā Roimata-o-Hine Hukatere / Franz Josef Glacier which I think was really valuable in his journey to understanding the various layers of a landscape, and how he might find inspiration in these pūrākau to design a space that reflects a different worldview".

"Often students think taking inspiration from a cultural narrative needs to be a literal translation, for example paving patterns or etching of Te Reo Māori into concrete. But there are far more subtle and respectful ways you can acknowledge an inter-generational culture and Daniel did that. His project considered all layers of a landscape, connecting them together to propose a really mature and well thought through design".

*Imagery from Whakaora i Rū Whenua | Salvation from a Violent Land*

A VISION FOR A VILLAGE OF RESILIENCE

Daniel's design vision for his ambitious project was for Franz Josef / Waiau to become a "village of resilience, respondent to the highly dynamic landscape it sits in (as) a place of manaakitanga; a place of mātauranga; a place of mauri".

The design envisages a managed relocation of Franz Josef by 2050, complete with a base isolated village core to house all critical infrastructure for the village in response to an earthquake. Over the next 25 years the remainder of the settlement would relocate to ground identified as safe to reside and the old town would be strategically and appropriately dissembled.

Importance is placed in Daniel's design on maintaining the distinct landscape character of the village. "Instead of picking up the village, and running away from the dynamic landscape it sits in, this is embraced. A staging approach is carried out, shifting the village slightly north to land safe from flooding and off the direct line of the fault".

"I wanted to put a focus on the township after the glacier is gone. How the town could diversify and activate a heart that wasn't about ribbon development".

An extract from the design intent reads:

The heart of Franz Josef village, the plaza, is a space where the cultural stories of the landscape and the powerful natural processes of the environment come together to form a space of energy and meaning ...
The forms of the plaza are drawn from that of the surrounding dynamic environment with the legibility of the fault line seen through the level changes in the plaza; the process of glacial recession is seen through the emergence of planting scattered through the space; the powerful nature of the river is eminent in the eroded terrace steps acting as a connection to the floodplain; and the rain highlighted through the water rill running through the centre of the space. The open nature of the plaza serves the additional purpose as being located adjacent to the Community Centre, it can act as a multi-functional space for the Civil Defence to share supplies after an earthquake.

Thankfully for all dedicated followers of landscape architecture, the incredible archive that is Lincoln University's Tikaka Tuku Iho | Living Heritage has stored Daniel's detailed project document stored here for easily accessible viewing.

Daniel has also acknowledged the valuable role Vectorworks had throughout the design and research of his project. "It allowed me to bring the topography of the site to life and to extrude the built form to give an in-depth understanding of the three-dimensional space".

Annabel Carr, Vectorworks Director of Australian & New Zealand Operations told LAA how happy Vectorworks - now in its 40th year since the original founder started the business in 1985 - has been to support the 2024 scholarship awarded to Daniel.

Annabel: "We're always thrilled to empower future landscape architects to push the boundaries of design and contribute to the profession's advancement. This scholarship is especially notable because it has focused on promoting research that actively contributes new knowledge to landscape architecture, fostering innovation in the field".

"We believe in nurturing talent from the ground up, which is why we offer free educational licences, comprehensive resources, and significant discounts to graduates through our student2PRO program. This investment in the next generation of designers ensures a seamless transition from education to professional practice, equipping them with the tools and skills needed to thrive in the industry".

At the time it was announced he would receive the 2024 Vectorworks Landmark Student Scholarship Daniel commented that his first motivation was the great opportunity it presented to "share the hard work I’d put in over the year", adding "I didn't know what to expect".

GREATER EXPECTATIONS

By way of greater expectations Daniel has stated that he hopes that projects like his, completed within an intense period of time, will encourage "conversations about designing for dynamic natural environments and inspire others to think creatively about resilience in their projects".

"We need more research about these pressing issues and a more landscape-centric approach. When it comes to powerful natural forces like rivers, for example, we need alternatives to traditional hard engineering solutions like stop banks.

"There’s a lot of work happening in this area, and I’m excited to contribute to finding solutions for our unique landscapes and small, isolated communities. More research has the potential to generate new knowledge that is not only applicable to Franz Josef but applicable to other communities facing similar complex environmental and urban design challenges worldwide".

Having already started working in Auckland as a graduate Landscape Architect with RMM Landscape Architects, Daniel has since received further acknowledgments, receiving the Peter Rough award for the highest mark for his Major Design project as well as the NZILA Robin Gay award for best student upon completion of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree for academic and studio work.

Standing tall and proud Daniel Watt holds his newly presented NZILA Vectorworks Landmark Student Scholarship certificate. Pictured with Daniel are Jesse Byrne, the outgoing chair of NZILA Canterbury /Westland branch and Debbie Tikao, NZILA President. The presentation took place, along with a range of local Student awards, at the branch AGM hosted by Boffa Miskell in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 6 March.

Daniel’s next milestone will be to join his fellow graduating students at their formal graduation at Lincoln in May.

Neither he nor other students in these latest landscape architecture cohorts - from across the motu - can foretell where a career path in landscape architecture will lead them.

One thing's for sure and that is that they'll never run out of design challenges to formulate and implement potential solutions for.

Editor’s note: Students recognised with an equivalent NZILA Vectorworks award, as reported on in LAA in the past, include: Hannah Carson (2018), Will Chrisp (2020), Hanley Chen (2021), Lucy Caves (2022) and Caitlin Hartnett-Poelman (2023).