McGregor Coxall Celebrates AILA Victoria Award Win for Visionary Birrarung Project
“Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070” has won the 2025 AILA Victoria Award of Excellence for Research, Policy and Communications. The groundbreaking exhibition, presented by the National Gallery of Victoria, brought together eight leading landscape architecture practices to envision the future of Melbourne’s iconic Yarra River.
McGregor Coxall, along with ASPECT Studios, Bush Projects, OFFICE, Openwork, REALMstudios, SBLA and TCL, created an innovative showcase that challenged conventional approaches to urban waterway design. The project centered on the Birrarung – the traditional Wurundjeri name for the Yarra River – recognizing it as a living entity that fundamentally shapes Melbourne’s urban fabric. McGregor Coxall’s contribution, The Birrrung Catchment, examined its effects on the river beyond the water course, through the perspective of past, present and future.
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The award jury praised the exhibition for its “deeply considered approach, where Indigenous knowledge and process are seamlessly woven into a landscaped experience.” They highlighted how the project “shifts perception, allowing one to understand Country in a deeper, more intuitive way” and recognised its “delicate balance” in exploring “the nuanced relationship between culture, Country and land.”
The exhibition demonstrated how design speculation can reveal the intricate layers that shape place and meaning, moving beyond traditional planning approaches to embrace Indigenous knowledge systems and community engagement. Each practice contributed unique perspectives on how the Birrarung might evolve over the next five decades, taking into account climate change, urban development, and cultural reconciliation.
The project was developed on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, with Indigenous knowledge and perspectives integral to the design process rather than tokenistic additions. This approach resonated with the jury, who noted how the collective work “argues for the value of design, of speculation and of rethinking our relationships to Country.”
McGregor Coxall extends congratulations to all collaborating practices and the National Gallery of Victoria for this well-deserved recognition. The Award of Excellence for Research, Policy and Communications acknowledges projects that advance the landscape architecture profession through innovative thinking and public engagement.
The 2025 AILA Victoria Awards were judged by Dr Bridget Keane (Chair), Henry Crothers, Joanna Bush, Matthew Mackay, Shay McMahon, Prue Slatyer, Paul Thompson, Fiona Chen and Justine Osborne, with support from The University of Melbourne.
