Green fingers awards
Earthquest Management Consultants won a gold medal for Kenwyn House, a historic manor in the Seychelles that was given a complete garden installation revamp after decades of neglect. Earthquest Management Consultants won a gold medal for Kenwyn House, a historic manor in the Seychelles that was given a complete garden installation revamp after decades of neglect.
The SA Landscapers Institute’s annual awards were held at the SA Green Industries Council Convention hosted in Muldersdrift.
The country’s top award-winning commercial projects demonstrate to local gardeners what is possible with superb horticultural knowledge and world-class landscape design.
Rooftop garden
The coveted Sali Shield, the industry’s highest national honour, went to Glenn Norrie of Capescapes for the landscaping and installation of a roof garden above the lecture rooms at the Life Science Faculty, University of the Western Cape.
Estimated to be the largest roof garden in southern Africa, the project was designed by top Cape Town landscape architects OvP Associates. The cutting-edge green roof helps to keep the Life Sciences building beneath it cool during the hot Cape summers.
As the university is situated next to the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, low-growing indigenous groundcovers and shrubs were chosen. Under these conditions, world class design skills were needed to map out an attractive landscape with a limited palette of plants.
Top mountain fynbos ecologist Deon van Eeden of Vula Environmental Services was awarded two trophies for his work on the massive but water-wise re-vegetation project at the Berg River Dam in the Western Cape. Spanning five years, the re-vegetating of the dam wall and adjacent area was part of the rehabilitation of the Berg River Dam project.
Local successes
In Gauteng, The Westcliff Hotel, Woolworths Distribution Centre in Midrand, Montecasino Bird Garden and Eye of Africa Golf Estate won gold medals for Servest Landscaping. Gold medals were also awarded to the Top Turf Group for their work at the Harbour Town Golf Estate at the Vaal Dam, the World Cup Hospitality Project and Inanda Greens in Inanda, Joburg.
In the realm of domestic landscaping in Gauteng, gold medals went to Servest for the government’s Oliver Tambo House in Pretoria and Peet van der Merwe of Greenacres Landscaping for House Pistorius.
Sandtone cliff
Designed by landscape architect Lukas Uys, the Pistorius garden surrounds a glamorous new three-storey home situated on a steep slope in Waterkloof, Pretoria.
The house lies 3m below street level and the swimming pool is situated on top of a suite of guest rooms.
Superb terracing was an important aspect of the Pistorius project and the focal point in the garden is a cascade duck pond.
Island gardens
Nine gold medals and two trophies were awarded to landscapers working in Mauritius and the Seychelles. Of particular interest was Kenwyn House in the Seychelles.
The 2011 winners of the prestigious trophies were as follows:
l The Sali Shield for Excellence in Landscaping (Overall Best Award): Capescapes for the University of the Western Cape’s Life Science Faculty.
l Rand Water Trophy for the Best Water-Wise Entry: Vula Environmental Services for the Berg River Dam Environmental Rehabilitation.
l Best Environmental Landscape Work: Vula Environmental Services for the Berg River Dam Environmental Rehabilitation.
l Best Specialised Landscape Construction: TopTurf Group for the World Cup Hospitality Project.
l Best Landscape Construction with Design by Others: Capescapes for the University of the Western Cape’s Life Sciences Faculty.
l Efekto Trophy for the Best Landscape Construction with In-House Design: Roomtogrow Gardens for House Hodgson.
l Best Specialised Turf Construction: Servest Turf for the Eye of Africa Golf Course.
l Best Landscape and Turf Maintenance: Servest Landscaping for Oliver Tambo House.
l Bristle Cone Trophy for the Most Innovative and Original Use of Plant Material: Earthquest Management Consultants for the La Plaine Rum Factory and for the original and innovative use of local edible plants, spices and medicinal plants in the landscape design.
l Evergreen Turf Trophy for the Best Novice Entry: Cape Contours Landscapes for the Rodwell House Hotel.
l MayFord Trophy for the Best use of Colour in the Landscape: GvH Landscapes for House Coronna.
l Sali National Judges’ Discretionary Award: Earthquest Management Consultants for their high quality landscaping over many years .
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