Spiire

Well done to our own Azin Emampour who was one of the jurors for this year’s national Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) awards – and a big congratulations to all the winners crowned last week! Our Landscape team joined their peers to celebrate inspiring projects from across the country. As Azin, an AILA Executive member from Victoria, noted, "The standard of the projects was exceptionally high. Each nominee was selected for a reason—they were already celebrated as winners at the state level." Thanks to the careful consideration of all state jury panels and our own Alexandra Lee who served as a Victorian juror. We sat down with Azin to hear what she learned from the judging process. 🌿 What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture? I've always been passionate about biodiversity, I believe that for our survival, humans need to cultivate a healthy relationship and a deep connection with nature. I view landscape architects as heroes in the effort of bringing all consultants together to save our planet. I started with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, but I found myself more drawn to the natural elements in our environments. My father is a horticultural expert with a profound passion for plants and animals, which further inspired my career and study path. 🌿 How did you feel when you were selected as a juror? It was a pleasure and an honour to serve on the amazing panel. Landscape architecture is not just my profession; it's my hobby and my passion. I've always been committed to learning, and loved how this experience has deepened that commitment. It has made me feel even more responsible to further immerse myself in research, stay current with industry trends, and develop a more profound understanding of Country. 🌿 How did you find the overall judging process? The process was incredibly efficient and well-structured, complemented by the wonderful support of the AILA staff and our chair Andrew. With over 140 award-winning projects to consider, the responsibility was immense, yet the process was seamless. The judging panel was exceptionally experienced, lovely and diverse. Despite our varied backgrounds and opinions, our shared values and vision clearly aligned, enriching the entire experience. 🌿 Did any standout trends in the industry catch your eye during the submissions? Absolutely! I was really impressed by the increasing attention to light pollution and the preservation of dark skies in our projects. I see a shift towards climate-positive design choices in plant selections and the use of sustainable materials. I think AILA members are aware of the importance of caring for Country and engaging in meaningful partnerships with Traditional Custodians. Truly, no project can reach its full potential without this. This experience was both motivating and inspiring. Not only on landscape but also leadership, thinking and innovation, it has made me a better landscape architect. #Spiire

Thanks to Colin Keane for sharing his perceptive analysis of the market at this afternoon’s UDIA SA industry lunch, sponsored by Spiire Adelaide! As expected, Colin’s data showed that Adelaide’s sales volumes have begun to taper off, as Adelaide’s biggest growth area in the north faces significant sewer and water infrastructure challenges. The biggest takeaway from Colin was the need for the local sector to have the grunt to keep up the supply to meet peak demand, the repercussions of failing to do so, being lack of affordability. Confidence levels in Adelaide particularly are at an all-time high, and as serviceable land supply remains constrained, we need to work together as a united sector to deliver on the South Australian Government’s housing roadmap. It was fantastic to be the major sponsor of this must-attend event, to hear from Minister Nick Champion and catch up with many of the industry peers and clients that we have gotten to know over the past year. Time has flown by since we opened our local business, and I commenced in the role of leading Spiire’s budding Adelaide team. It has been a privilege to become a part of a close-knit local industry that is thriving off the back of strong demand and opportunities in the region. I’m really proud of the team we’ve built here and excited to continue partnering with clients on the delivery of significant projects and work with the local industry to keep the local urban development sector thriving. #Spiire

We’re excited to be forging ahead with Reduced Carbon Concrete (RCC) in upcoming open space reserves across Aurora estate! Our Landscape Architecture construction consultancy team recently led a trial of a low-carbon alternative, Future-Crete, within this significant masterplanned community in Melbourne’s north. RCC typically provides a 30% reduction in carbon by substituting a portion (30-40%) of Portland grey cement with supplementary cementitious materials, such as fly ash and slag (waste products from the metal and energy production industries). The cost of the product, sourced from Adbri Limited, was price comparable to standard materials used in similar applications. After a successful trial of the RCC in a 200m length of 1.5m wide pavement, we can now make the switch for future open-space landscape projects throughout the estate. With almost half of Aurora’s landscape assets, including 11.5km of pathways still to be completed, we’ll be able to use over 3,5000 cubic metres across the remaining 1,000 lots of the development. Well done to Heath Gifford and the wider team for taking the initiative to advocate for a more sustainable alternative at Aurora and in other regions. It’s another step in the right direction as we prepare to launch Spiire’s first Sustainability Action Plan. Thanks to our clients Lendlease, contractor UDL Group and all stakeholders involved for your support as we continue to integrate sustainable and cost-practical solutions into project delivery.

We are pleased to announce two new appointments to the Spiire Board. Congratulations to Jane Macey who has now joined the Board as an Executive Director, and to Anthony Wansink who will be formally appointed to the Board as an Executive Director on July 1st 2025. As a people business that is owned by the people that work within it, we’re thrilled to have two of our team step into these new roles and represent our business at Board level. A Principal town planner based in our Shepparton office, Jane has been with Spiire for over 20 years and was recently appointed as Shepparton Business Manager. An avid representative of regional Victoria across various community roles, Jane was the recipient of the 2023 UDIA Vic Women in Leadership Award, a testament to her professional acumen, client focus and community advocacy. Jane brings with her extensive Board experience including as a current Board member and Deputy Chair of the Committee 4 Greater Shepparton. Having begun his career at Spiire as a town planner and project manager in 2011, Anthony has held several key roles within the business over the years as a General Manager across several portfolios including strategy, systems, technology and marketing. Anthony’s credentials include an MBA (Deakin), Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation (MIT), Developing AI Strategy (RMIT). Together with his experience in leading different functions within the business and, as a Non-Executive Director of Geelong based not-for-profit, River’s Gift, this provides Anthony with a unique perspective and skillset to be able to challenge the Board’s thinking and the status quo. These new appointments increase the diversity of thinking and geographic spread within our Board and we look forward to benefiting from Jane and Anthony’s rich experience as we continue on our growth journey.

What a proud day for our Water Engineering team! Our work with Barwon Water at Murrk Ngubitj Yarram Yaluk won the Stormwater Australia national award for Excellence in Integrated Stormwater Design.   The project challenged our team to help realise the potential of a decommissioned water basin, set on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. We designed the realignment of Yarram Creek and the site’s rehabilitation, as the first phase of its planned transformation into more than 30ha of environmental and public open space.   The team, led by local water engineers in our Geelong office, prioritised protecting the site’s existing ecological values and providing an environment for plant and animal life to thrive. A big congratulations to everyone who contributed to the project, including our internal Civil, Landscape and Survey teams!   The award capped off a busy start to the Stormwater, Environment and Technology 2024 Conference in Brisbane this week, where several of our engineers presented insights and findings to their peers in a national forum. Well done Alan Davidson, Matthew Di Santo, Michael Yule and Leigh Holmes.

We've loved having some special guests in the Spiire offices these school holidays! Each year, we invite our people to bring their children along and see what a typical work day looks like.   Along with plenty of table tennis, games and milo, it's a chance for kids to join meetings and sit with their parents or carers to better understand what they do.   What a treat to have so many bright and curious minds exploring a day at Spiire. We hope our youngest VIPs enjoyed their visits!

Well done to water engineers Jessica Ward, Sophie Cant and Thomas Cousland for helping keep our team up to speed with changing national guidelines in an informative Inspiired Session.    People from across the business joined in for lunchtime learning on the new Climate Change Guidance chapter in the Australian Rainfall & Runoff Guidelines. It's crucial to understand for all our stormwater practitioners, but also impacts broader development practices.   Thanks to the presenting team for providing these valuable insights to further support the knowledge and technical development of staff from all our disciplines.

There’s been a lot to get excited about at Woodbury Ridge recently! As the first development to receive certification under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act, we were proud to have our work recognised recently as the winner of the Community & Sustainable Environment category at last week’s EISSI Awards run by Institution of Surveyors NSW (ISNSW)! Our awesome project team were also awarded the Sir Thomas Mitchell Award, for the most outstanding overall project across the six award categories. Our local Surveying team surveyed and prepared the Deposited Plan of the community title subdivision allowing for the continued preservation of the site’s many ecological attributes. Another milestone was achieved earlier this month, with the team celebrating the grand opening of ‘The Park @ Woodbury’ with local residents. Designed by our Landscape Architecture and Water Engineering teams, this central park features natural timber play equipment, custom steel shelters, sandstone walls, native plants and sports courts, providing a community meeting place for social interaction and play, with recreation opportunities for all ages. A stormwater quality pond within the park provides water quality control for the estate, as well as an additional landscape feature for residents to enjoy. Together with our clients, Capital Plus 1 Woodbury Ridge and Kenyon Services alongside their development manager, Capital Plus 1 Project Management, our truly integrated team of local surveyors, civil & water engineers, landscape architects and construction consultants have been involved in every aspect of the design and construction of this project and are proud to have worked together to successfully build on the historical, ecological and landscape setting of the 185ha site. To read more about this project click on this link: https://lnkd.in/g-XTxcpy

A huge congratulations to Licensed Surveyor Jesse Gelfand on the completion of his Professional Training Agreement! Jesse credits the support and generosity of the wider Survey team, including supervising surveyor Stephen Motta, with helping him achieve his long-held ambition of becoming licensed. This willingness to help each other and spirit of teamwork was one of the deciding factors that drew Jesse to join Spiire in 2022.  “One of the unique things about Spiire is the collaboration, not only between the disciplines we offer, but also between the Survey teams in different offices,” he says. “There is very much an open doors policy; everyone is approachable for you to come and ask questions. If you want to learn, as long as you show persistence and learning ability, you’re backed to keep going as far as you can go.” Jesse brought a specialist knowledge of small and medium-sized residential developments to the Spiire team, developed throughout his career in land surveying. He enjoys exploring the layers of history within the urban environment. “Each time you’re doing a cadastral survey, it’s almost like a treasure hunt. You’re piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of marks that might have been left by previous surveyors over the years,” he says. Well done, Jesse, for your hard work and perseverance throughout your PTA journey. What a fantastic achievement!