The late great Luis Barragan once said ‘ I don’t divide architecture and landscape; to me they are one’. Not surprisingly he was as famous for his architectural work as he was for his landscapes. If ever you’re looking for the courage to employ strong colours in your landscape design then it might be worth exploring the success he had.

I mention this in light of the winner of the 2013 Interior Design Excellence Award being McBride Charles Ryan for their addition to Penleigh and Essendon Grammer School in Melbourne ( see image above ). Aptly name the Infinity Centre it was praised for its ‘gloriously seamless amalgamation of indoor-outdoor spaces’. This is the way all building should be designed, with consideration of the out from within and vice versa. When I was studying Landscape Architecture there was absolutely no contact with the architecture students, which I’d suggest represents a wasted opportunity.