90 | LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Resilio Studio T T Kelly Deeks Aiming to restore natural systems At the core of Resilio’s approach is a regenerative design framework. As Auckland continues to rethink how it designs its urban environments, a growing emphasis on working with natural systems rather than fighting them is reshaping the role of landscape architecture. For Resilio Studio, that shift aligns closely with the regenerative design philosophy the practice has been developing for more than a decade. Founded in 2014 and led by Gary Marshall and Jack Haldane-Willis, Resilio Studio focuses on co-creating resilient and regenerative places by understanding the life force of landscapes and the relationships between nature, people and place – te taiao, tangata, and whenua. The Auckland-based practice works across design, planning, management and strategy, supporting projects that respond to climate pressures while strengthening community connection and ecological health. Jack says landscape architects occupy a unique position within the urban development process, sitting at the intersection of housing, infrastructure, ecology, and policy. “Landscape is often the connective tissue of a city,” Jack says. “Architects deal with buildings, engineers deal with infrastructure, planners deal with policy, and landscape touches the edges of all of these things. That gives us a responsibility to think holistically about how places function over time.” At the core of Resilio’s approach is a regenerative design framework that looks beyond minimising harm, and instead seeks to actively restore and enhance natural systems. Rather than imposing rigid design solutions, the team works to understand a site’s existing conditions, including hydrology, historical ecology and landform, and allows those elements to inform the design response. “Often, the landscape tells you what it needs,” Jack says. “Certain plants indicate wet areas, depressions show where streams once ran, and historical patterns help reveal what a place is capable of becoming again. Our role is to unlock that latent potential.” That philosophy has become increasingly relevant in Auckland as councils and communities reassess how water is managed in urban areas. Following the floods of 2023 there has been a renewed focus on creating space for water within cities, rather than trying to push it away as quickly as possible. Arborist & Environmental Consultants SUPPORTING RESILIO STUDIO FROM WAY BACK admin@arbeco.co.nz | www.arbeco.co.nz Innovative design inspired by nature Parks Asset Management Environmental Consulting Structural Engineering Consents & Planning Construction Monitoring Project Management Tracks and Outdoor Visitor Structures Design 027 700 9731 admin@renature.co.nz renature.co.nz “There’s a noticeable shift happening,” Jack says. “We’re moving away from purely engineered solutions and towards landscapes that can absorb, slow, and manage water while delivering social and ecological benefits at the same time.” One of Resilio’s most significant recent projects demonstrating that approach is the transformation of Kaipātiki Reserve in Tāmaki Makaurau. The studio was engaged by Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, a co-governance entity bringing together Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and Auckland Council, to develop a master plan and lead the design of a destination play space, public plaza, open recreation areas, water-sensitive stormwater features, ecological restoration planting and new pedestrian networks across the 18-hectare site. Opened in July 2024, the project has become a widely cited example of co-governance in action, following the return of the land to Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara in 2013 under a Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement. Jack says working within a co-governance framework was a defining aspect of the project. “When you genuinely co-design and bring
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