South African landscape architecture

South African landscape architecture: A compendium is a ground-breaking publication, celebrating 64 of South Africa's outstanding landscape architecture projects. Influential design, environmental, cultural and scientific professional practice projects, spanning more than 25 years, are documented in full-colour. Since 1985, the Institute for Landscape architects of South Africa (ILASA) has recognised landscape architecture projects worthy of merit awards. These renowned projects are chronologically ordered in articles, many of which have previously been published in journals (several of which are no longer in print). The merit award projects, as published in the original journals, are collected here to preserve them as a set of historically significant (and landmark) projects in one consolidated publication, while showcasing the best professional work of South Africa's prominent landscape architects. As an invaluable all-in-one resource to contemporary practitioners and scholars, the Compendium presents those key projects which led to the profession becoming a cornerstone to the creation of outdoor space. Moreover, the inspired leadership reflected in these projects has contributed towards cultural and environmental stewardship in South Africa. This retrospective study advances the knowledge of rigorous local practice on an international level, and confirms the vital role of quality outdoor public and private spaces. The Compendium publicises the great achievements of South African landscape architects and assists in creating a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the discipline of landscape architecture. It serves, too, as a benchmark, locally, for peers and multi-disciplinary design and environmental teams. South African landscape architecture: A reader consists of long theoretical research papers as well as shorter, focused and applied research articles presented with full colour illustrations. Each paper in the Reader was subject to editorial review, internal review at Unisa Press and thereafter external double-blind peer review facilitated by Unisa Press as an academic publisher. As such, it represents excellence in academic rigour. It is a publication of definitive works by leading researchers in a contemporary method. The academic writings are diverse, supporting the expression of sub-disciplines within a larger context. This book provides an accessible vehicle for the dissemination of the research. Research in landscape architecture has passed a threshold in this publication. It represents the advancement of local scholarly outputs within an international academic fraternity. These outputs are based on the latest research within the fields of theory, culture, heritage, science and design. The studies in the Reader heighten the academic stature of innovative collaborative research. The Reader serves as a platform for current South African landscape architecture theory to be published in the academic domain, making it widely accessible to local and international peers. The Reader provides an opportune medium for the publication of research which has created a focused and pronounced view of landscape architecture in South Africa. The editors trust that it will provide a platform for future investigations in extended academic research in the discipline.