Brisbane’s Olympic plan recognised at national awards
Brisbane’s ‘Green Pathways, Gold Places’ earned top-notch recognition at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects awards last night.
The initiative outlines ideas for a 2032 Design Coordination Unit within the Office of the Queensland Government Architect, along with green grids, an Olympic forest and precinct-based design approaches.
‘Green Pathways, Gold Places’, Brisbane’s Olympic landscape plan and advocacy campaign, took out the 2025 AILA President’s Award.
Providing a landscape action plan for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ‘Green Pathways, Gold Places’ prioritises connection, inclusivity and high-quality, long-lasting public spaces for the Brisbane community.
AILA National President Ben Willsmore said the initiative’s features of collaboration, organisational strength and practical aspirations, including the prioritisation of green girds, allowed it to stand out from other contenders.
Green grids are living infrastructures with connective features, such as planted walks, open spaces, creek lines and shaded streets. With the initiative’s focus on green grids, it aims to expand Brisbane’s existing canopy cover from 32 percent to 50.
“In the context of the games, one of the things that stood out for me was the desire to work with what Brisbane has to enhance the parks, creeks, footpaths and cycleways to make what you have greener and better,” Willsmore said.
Willsmore praised the idea of an Olympic Forest as a way to improve water and air quality, and give a distinctive Southeast Queensland look to the Olympics.
“The city is cooler for it, the air is cleaner, people feel better being in and around and underneath trees, and there’s a certain character that people start to associate at the Olympic Games with in Brisbane,” Willsmore said.
“When we talk about landscape types, we need to ensure that we’re not just designing venues, but creating spaces and places for people to come together and really enjoy the Olympics and for those spaces to live on in a really sustainable, practical way.
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“Everyone talks about Sydney Olympics as the greatest Olympics, but the ideas that Green Pathways, Gold Places has all the foundations to allow Brisbane to challenge that and be the next global benchmark as a sustainable green games with a really gold legacy.”
The Green Pathways, Gold Places’is a joint initiative of AILA, the Australian Institute of Architects, the Planning Institute of Australia, and the Design Institute of Australia.
Three other Queensland projects received award recognition, including the Archerfield Wetlands, the Queensland Conservatorium and a Bundaberg Master Plan.
The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) hosted their National Awards last night at Glen Albyn Estate in Tasmania.
The AILA Awards recognises planning and designs with great impact on Australian lives across industry, business, government and the wider community.
