I’m just back from the judging weekend for this year’s Landscape Institute Awards. More than a hundred entries this year, so no sign that the recession is dampening the ardour of our registered practices to put themselves forward. The judges are a mixture – mostly landscape architects, but a sprinkling of external judges to bring in an outside perspective.
It is fascinating to watch how they work – long periods of intent, silent study, bursts of energetic discussion and fascinating debates about the relative merits of different entries. Everyone finds it hugely stimulating and enjoyable, and it is a real pleasure to spend an entire day with a snapshot of the profession at its finest.
The Awards are not just a great boost for the practices that win one. They are an important tool for setting standards in a profession that regulates itself. Many judges of long standing commented this year that the standard of entries was high in their categories, and there is no doubt that this form of peer review not only showcases the best but sets a benchmark against which others can judge their own work.
Tomorrow we have a visitor in the office. We have signed up for a work-shadowing scheme with Defra, so the policy advisor for sustainable construction is coming in to shadow the LI’s policy officer for a day. Our policy officer shadowed her at the Defra offices last week and it was a great opportunity for us to see the inside workings of a departmental policy team, and a good way of introducing the profession to a civil servant in a key post.
Finally, my iPhone app recommendation for this week is NashRamblas by the Electric Mapping Company. It is a virtual walk through the landscapes created by John Nash in central London. Starting on Primrose Hill, it guides you down through Regent’s Park, Regent Street and down into St James’s Park. And it’s free.